AB Yehoshua is an Israeli writer born on December 9, 1936 in Jerusalem. Yehoshua was raised in a very literary family - his father was a historical writer and his mother showered him in books as a child. From 1954 to 1957, he served in the Israeli army and subsequently enrolled in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to study literature. His foray into the literary world started as soon as he graduated from college. Many of his works shed a light on the Jewish experience, inspired by his Israeli upbringing.
In 1978, Yehoshua published a novel entitled The Lover, which follows a husband’s journey as he attempts to track down the man his wife had an affair with. It is set amongst a backdrop of the Yom Kippur War. While the novel deals with provocative and heart-wrenching topics, critics and audiences had mixed reactions. Kirkus Reviews states that “a taut sense of Israeli mood--especially on the Arab-Israeli cusp--is delivered, but it's too swoony a performance in general, too deliberate and microscopic: Yehoshua refuses to draw a single straight line. Evocative but soupy.” Although people have differing opinions on The Lover, this controversial work should not be overlooked by any avid reader.
