Reviews and Reception

The New York Times Book Review:

 

“An insightful, inventive and lyrical expression of this writer’s forbearing vision of life under the aspect of mortality.” 

Kirkus Reviews:

 

“Oz expertly blends together an ingenious allegory of the Israeli resistance movement, a shimmering portrait of life in postwar Jerusalem and environs, and an unforgettable characterization of its sentient young hero- -who’s thoroughly believable both as a confused preadolescent and as the mature writer looking backward on his, and his country’s, youth from the vantage point of middle age. Another triumph, and further evidence of Oz’s increasing claim to serious Nobel Prize consideration.”

read the full review here

 

Publishers Weekly:

 

Oz writes “a gentle, unassuming story, both serious and amusing, told with perfect pitch and a humane awareness of life’s paradoxes and ironies.”-Review by N.R.M de Lange

read the full review here

The Baltimore Sun:

 

“The Panther in the Basement,” is a charming evocation of a pivotal moment in an Israeli boyhood and a sly provocation of important questions about love and loyalty.― Review by Dan Cryer

read the full review here.

The Washington Post:

 

“Countries need writers as their voices of conscience; few have them. Israel has Oz.” 

More Praise for Amos Oz:

 

Amos Oz is the proud winner of various awards and recognitions across the globe. He is a triumphant writer, who has been regarded as ranking with the most “important writers of our time” (Cynthia Ozick). His writing successfully integrated Israeli literature into the public social sphere, and created a platform for stories about developments and realities in Israeli life and history . In addition to the Israel Prize in Hebrew Literature, he has also won the Goethe Prize, Franz Kafka Prize, Bernstein Prize, the Legion of Honour of France, the Price of Asturias Award in Literature, and more. Amos’s novel, The Panther in the Basement, inspired a film entitled The Little Traitor written and directed by Lynn Roth in 2007. The film won many awards including Audience Choice for Best Feature Film at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, as well as the Best Narrative Award at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. 

 

 
 
Panther in the Basement was adapted into a film entitled The Little Traitor in 2007. Watch the trailer here:
 

 

Panther in the Basement’s Homepage

Rachel Milberg ’20

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