Flies
Hezi was a child prodigy. He could solve math problems at unbelievable speed, remember entire chapters of the Bible, read English, French, Aramaic and Latin, and understand German and Russian too. His head was always seething with ideas and inventions, but he was also troubled by something that kept buzzing in his head. At the age of 26, without a job or a girlfriend, Hezi lives off money sent or given by his family and devotes all his time to his project for saving the world: producing energy from the flight of flies. Among his assistants are an old bookseller, who recovers ancient books for him, an artist with a taste for vodka and women, and a woman poet. Hezi does not work because he needs “time to think.” He is a dazed but determined rebel – a prophet of doom, but one who offers his people salvation. His obsession with flies and literature is his way of rebelling against capitalism and the bourgeois Israeli values that surround him. Yet as his energy project develops, Hezi continues to ignore the impending catastrophe: not the one that will destroy the world, but himself.
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“ Legendary Aharon Megged`s sense of humor gives continuous joy. His delightful blend of radiant intellect and shadowy bitterness creates a constant flow of heavenly punch lines... With his genius, Megged has found the perfect tragi-comic metaphor for human life.”
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“ The almost instant intimacy between the reader and the protagonist is one of Megged`s most outstanding qualities. His protagonists are "everyman" enough to arouse empathy and crazy enough to arouse interest. Megged is a natural storyteller... A flowing, alluring novel.”
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“ Megged`s new and enjoyable book buzzes and swerves and offers many comic moments... It is full of imaginative witticisms... A surprising and extraordinary book.”