Hold on to the Sun

Govrin’s stories are linked by a common theme, a sudden break in petit bourgeois living that reveals the mystical moments of revelation underlying daily life. In the title story, a Jerusalem scholar who studies the history of Jewish prayer is looking for a special, long-neglected prayer book. He does not find the book. Instead, he comes across a story about a tribe living on a Pacific island which celebrates a yearly ritual of holding the sun. Other stories also contain unexpected discoveries.

The triptych “La Promenade” portrays several Polish Holocaust survivors who meet in a peaceful summer resort. Memories of the Holocaust emerge through a weave of politeness and hypocrisy, underscoring the vanity of life and the insignificance of time.