GUR, Batya (Estate) << back to list 1948 - 2005 Batya Gur, novelist and literary critic, who almost single-handedly was responsible for making the detective novel a flourishing genre in modern Hebrew, passed away this year, in Jerusalem. Batya Gur’s novels won the Krimi Preis in Germany and the WIZO prize in France (1996). All of her mysteries have been voted one of Ten Best Mysteries of the Year by the New York Times Book Review. (photo © Dan Porges) Bibliography & Foreign sales SHOOTING A MURDER (Mystery) 2004 The body of a woman discovered in the wardrobe warehouses of Israel Television leads Chief Police Inspector Michael Ohayon on a tangled and bloody journey of detection through the corridors and studios of Israel’s official television station and, especially, through the relations, tensions, fears, loves and courage of the people who make television what it is, from the lowliest technician to the director himself. In Shooting a Murder, Batya Gur positions Israel Television at the center of Israeli consciousness, where political tensions, hostility, corruption and the ethnic, social and religious divisions that shake the nation come together, the place to which all eyes turn in times of crisis and which serves as a base for the entire Israeli ‘family’. Rights sold to: USA, Harper/Collins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Gallimard; Spain, Siruela; Israel, Keter Reviews “The events in Shooting a Murder are credible to a point where it is difficult to put the book down. The story remains with the reader long after having closed the book.” Y-net “Gur again succeeds in realistically presenting every layer of Israeli society. She penetrates a small and closed circle and unveils and deciphers its dynamics for the reader with admirably precision.” 7 Days MURDER ON BETHLEHEM ROAD (Mystery) 2001 In this fifth installment of the critically and commercially successful Ohayon mystery series, Chief Police Inspector Michael Ohayon finds his longings for a home complicated by a murder in a nearby apartment. The search for the killer reveals the political and ethnic tensions of Jerusalem’s German Colony, reflecting the larger opposing forces with Israeli society: old residents versus new immigrants, North African versus European, right-wing versus left, Arab versus Jew. Rights sold to: USA, Harper/Collins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Fayard; Spain, Siruela; Israel, Keter Reviews “As always, Gur takes infinite care with the exacting studies of the characters who give her stories their extraordinary vitality…” The New York Times Book Review “Gur’s outstanding police procedural, her fifth Michael Ohayon mystery, can hold its own with the best work of P.D. James.” Starred review Publishers Weekly “Batya Gur succeeds in drawing wonderfully sensible character descriptions and an enthralling description of life in a country where the permanent state of emergency is permanent.” Welt am Sonntag “Romeo and Juliet in Jerusalem…Not only is Denn die Seele ist in deiner Hand a highly topical political thriller, it is also a precisely drawn fresco of the depths of human passions and despair.” Abendzeitung Muenchen “Batya Gur is a pathologist of a society whose inner life, even without a murder, is already exciting as a thriller.” Der Spiegel “Batya Gur’s characters are unusually complex and carefully drawn… especially vivid and clearly described are the differences within Jewish society itself regarding religious customs and the gap in life style between rich and poor.” Die Welt “Batya Gur is a skillful observer of various milieus and the sensibilities within Israeli society. The book reveals the inner tensions between old-established inhabitants and newcomers, between different cultures, languages and customs that are, on the outside, concealed by the conflict with the Palestinians. It takes an uncompromising analyst like Batya Gur to make an outsider understand the complicated nuances of a seemingly homogenous society.” Standard “An intelligent thriller by Israel’s #1 Crime Lady.” Petra Top Five “Through the investigative techniques of her fictional detective Michael Ohayon, Batya Gur finely lays bare the contradictions that tear modern-day Israel apart. She tells us about racism, fear, hatred, the conflicts between European and Oriental Jews, and the violence linked to the second Intifada. But also – and better than newspaper reports convey – she reveals the incredible love of life in this little country that dances on a volcano.” ELLE Magazine (French edition) “Under the apparently quotidian setting exists a very subtle analysis of Israeli society and history…the intractable tensions between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews breeds hatred and mistrust, and the way to understand them and even, perhaps, to prevent future violence lies in good measure in the way Batya Gur brings them to light. There is a substantial measure of courage and talent here, hidden under the pretext of an amiable detective novel.” Le Monde REQIEM TO MODESTY; or LIVING IN JERUSALEM (Non-Fiction) 2000 This slim volume is Batya Gur’s personal observation of the small introverted town that grew – following the Six-Day War – into a megalomaniac, pseudo-glorified metropolis. She details the price of this transfiguration with all its economic, political and social tensions. The book questions the possibility of living a normal life in Jerusalem, and illuminates the mythologies permeating all religions and secular life on both sides of the city. Rights sold to: Germany, Schoffling; France, Gallimard Reviews “In her beautiful autobiographical essay articulated around a town that is holy to three (religions) but never placid. Batya Gur cites the Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi: “Jerusalem is a golden cup crawling with scorpions.” Le Monde des Livres “Without revisiting the political justifications of one side or the other, the author tackles the current question of Jerusalem in a passionate essay. Batya Gur draws a contrasting and animated portrait of Jerusalem...A text so full of humanity that it makes one forget the cries of hatred.” Lire “Batya Gur offers a suspenseful insight into the world views and positions of Israel’s intellectuals. To Live in Jerusalem is definitely worthwhile reading, with plenty to think about.” Die Zeit “Whoever permits himself to be guided by Batya Gur is certain to get to know the land and the people with the kind of depth available, perhaps, only to travelers in earlier, more leisurely times.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung WHAT HAPPENED TO BENJI (Young Adult Mystery) 2000 Batya Gur’s first young adult mystery is about adolescent love and torment in a neighborhood school in Jerusalem. When the friendship of two young boys begins to disintegrate, the older boy sets out to investigate what’s happened to Benji. Rights sold to: Germany, Hanser; Spain, Siruela; Israel, Keter Reviews “A very respectable entry into the world of children’s literature by Batya Gur.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “Batya Gur’s repeated manipulation of surprising and wonderful images is delightful. Although she sometimes joins the children in making good-natured fun of some of the grown-ups, she never fails to take the children, as readers, completely serious.” Berner Zeitung MURDER DUET: A Musical Case (Mystery) 1999 The fourth of the Michael Ohayon mysteries is set in the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, as Ohayon investigates the murder of a member of the famous musical family, the Van Geldrens. Complicating his investigation is Ohayon’s personal involvement with the victim’s cellist sister. Rights sold to: USA, HarperCollins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Fayard; Italy, Piemme; Holland, Arena (reverted); Spain, Siruela; Israel, Keter Dramatic Rights: Kaleo Films Paris Reviews “In each of Batya Gur’s three previous novels, her cerebral Israeli policeman, Michael Ohayon had to master some esoteric literary theory, interpret multiple systems of clinical psychology... before he could solve his criminal case. Murder Duet continues in this civilized matter by letting us share Ohayon’s immersion in the excitable subculture of classical music...” New York Times “...Batya Gur’s new book is a luxurious mystery for aficionados murder, classical music and psychological motivation.” USA TODAY “Murder Duet is very exciting, the characters are well developed, the plot is ingenious and the book gives us a lot of information.” NRC Handelsblad (Netherlands) “A very surprising and exciting psycho-thriller” Het Volk (Netherlands) STONE FOR STONE (Fiction) 1998 The powerful story of a woman whose son is killed playing a form of Russian Roulette while serving in the army. Loosely based on an incident in Israel several years ago, this bestseller is a testament to Gur’s leading voice in Israeli fiction. Rights sold to: Germany, Berlin Verlag; Germany (Paperback) Goldmann; Spain, Siruela; France, Editions Gallimard; Israel, Keter Reviews “... Rachela strides into a battle for a new tradition that is resistant to repression... Stone for Stone is great universal literature, because it universalizes its two concrete spheres of subject-matter: the decay of both society and private life in Israel within a third sphere.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “A convinced pacifist attacks the Israeli Army -- an Israeli taboo, if ever there was one ...Batya Gur x-rays a society in which life is sacred, but which unites in grief. She knows what she is talking about...” Le Nouvel Observateur “In a new novel that distances her from the mystery genre, Batya Gur opposes the principle of law as it appears in texts in favor of veritable justice.” Le Monde des Livres I DIDN’T IMAGINE IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS (Fiction) 1994 The highly realistic story of Yoela Goldschmidt, a prominent Jerusalem gynecologist. Batya Gur’s psychological insight, so evident in her mysteries, infuses this profound and important literary novel. Rights sold to: Germany, Berlin Verlag/Goldmann; Spain, Siruela; Israel, Keter MURDER ON A KIBBUTZ: A Communal Case (Mystery) 1991 Michael Ohayon must once again solve a murder that has taken place within a complex, closed society: the kibbutz. As he delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers more and more of the kibbutz’s secrets, exposing all the contradictions of this “ideal” way of life. Rights sold to: USA, HarperCollins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Fayard; Holland, Arena (reverted); Greece, Polis; Italy, Piemme (reverted); Spain, Siruela; Croatia, MIOB Publishing (reverted; Russia, Text Publishers; Israel, Keter Reviews “...a compelling mix of character study and social history. A superb, multidimensional novel, the best in an outstanding series.” Booklist “Murder on a Kibbutz is not only a top-notch tale of suspense, it’s a compelling treatise on a remarkable social institution and on how Israel’s social history does not stand still.” Newsday LITERARY MURDER: A Critical Case (Mystery) 1991 In investigating the deaths of a professor of literature and his junior colleague, Ohayon raises profound ethical questions about the relationship between the artist and his creation, and between the artist and a moral code. It brings him into contact with the academic elite and reveals the social problems and differing perspectives of Israel’s various classes. Rights sold to: USA, HarperCollins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Fayard; Italy, Edizioni Nottetempo; Japan, East Press; Holland, Arena; Spain, Siruela; Portugal, Relogio d’Agua; Greece, Periplous; Hungary, Magus Design; Israel (Russian) Gishrei Tarbut; Poland, EMG Publishing; Israel, Keter Reviews “A complex mystery set in an unusual, well-developed milieu with a full cast of characters. Literary Murder is literary multidimensional pleasure.” Publishers Weekly “...this is a marvelous book, seductively engaging from beginning to end ... intellectual pursuit is portrayed with vigor and grace.” New York Newsday THE SATURDAY MORNING MURDER: A Psychoanalytic Case (Mystery) 1988 Michael Ohayon, the Moroccan-born intellectual Chief Inspector of the Israeli Police seeks to understand the laws that govern the world he must investigate. Ohayon gradually solves both the murder and the riddle of the enigmatic self-contained world of the Psychoanalytic Society. Rights sold to: USA, HarperCollins; Germany, Goldmann; France, Fayard; Italy, Edizioni Nottetempo; Holland, Arena; Japan, East Press; Denmark, Forum (reverted); Spain, Siruela; Portugal, Relogio d’Agua; Greece, Periplous; Hungary, Magus Design; Russia, Text Publishers; Poland, EMG Publishing; Israel, Keter Dramatic Rights: MME, Germany Awards: Krimi Preis, Germany Voted one of Ten Best Mysteries of the Year, New York Times Book Review Reviews “...a subtly provocative procedural mystery ... characters are examined in such depth and detail that the motive eventually uncovered for the murder makes perfect, if perfectly horrid, sense. The New York Times Book Review “...With sly, affectionate humor and acute insight, this is a flawless mystery ... A complex, fully satisfying resolution wraps up this masterful American debut.” Publishers Weekly