This collection – published here in English for the first time – brings together a number of political, personal and literary pieces by Israel's most celebrated novelist and littérateur. Topics covered include: an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a dispute between 'right and right'; reflections on the character of Zionism, on the concept of 'homeland', and on the nature of the kibbutz; the meaning of socialism in the Israeli context; and portraits of several Jewish writers and thinkers whose ideas and themes in one way or another have proved influential or determinative for Amos Oz himself. These essays, which put a unique perspective on the author's own experiences and development, reveal a complex and humane figure of practical political influence as well as of significant literary stature. They will win for Oz new readers, while delighting those who will recognise here the qualities evident in his other writings.

"...a highly illuminating perspective on Zionism, Socialism, Judaism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...these insightful essays from a major Israeli author are long overdue. Highly recommended..." Library Journal

"...Oz reveals the prescience of his early political, literary, and philosophical views, which recent events have shown to be remarkably clear sighted." Reform Judaism

"Under This Blazing Light by Amos Oz is a wondrous collection of essays that brilliantly reveal to us the heart and mind of one of the great writers of our time." Chaim Potok

"Though written in the 1960s and '70s, these searching essays by Israeli novelist and peace activist Oz are remarkably fresh and timely." Publishers Weekly

"Adapted from articles, interviews, and lectures from the 1960s and 70s, this is a provocative collection on Israeli society by one of the country's foremost novelists....Whether these musings touch upon the kibbutz, Israeli literature, or his early years in Jerusalem, Oz captivates the reader with his elegantly poetic voice." Kirkus Reviews

"Although these essays were written in the 1960s and 1970s, the fears expressed in them still exist, but the hopes they describe now seem a little closer to reality." Booklist

"This collection of political, personal and literary pieces by one of Israel's most celebrated novelists is an unmitigated delight...Oz gives us a discreet and charming collection of his writings." Ben Ishtov, Jewish Frontier

"By critiquing several well-known Jewish writers and thinkers, Oz gives the reader an insight into the influences on his frame of mind...while providing a highly illuminating perspective on Zionism, Socialism, Judaism, and the Israeli- Palestinian conflict...these useful essays from a major Israeli author are long overdue. Highly recommended for previous fans..." Charles A. Weiss, Library Journal

"...the essays present Oz's spellbinding versatility in an attractive and large enough manner to include most of his esthetic and intellectual merits." Yair Mazor, World Literature Today

"This collection of essays reveals the personal and political thoughts of Israel's novelist and give perspective to the author's own experiences and development." Shofar