Sami Michael, the author of eight previous novels, has produced a new one, "A Trumpet in the Wadi," a romantic family story set in Israel just prior to the 1982 Arab-Israeli conflict in Lebanon. Michael, an internationally acclaimed writer, was born and raised in Baghdad but left Iraq for Israel when he was 22. He is now 77, and his writer's gift seems undiminished.
In a telephone interview from his home in Haifa, Israel, Michael spoke movingly about his work. "I don't believe writing can be learned," he said. "You can only study technique. I read many hours a day." As a young man in Baghdad, what he calls "flat city," he remembers "reading on the roof by the light of the moon. Through reading I became a writer. When I read Jack London, who had written about the North Pole, it was summer for me — yet as I read the book I shivered from the cold. I said, 'Ahh — this is a magic man.' Something happened to me while reading his work. I wanted to be a writer."
Until the age of 30, he spoke Arabic, his "mother tongue." In Israel he joined the staff of a newspaper. "I spoke in Arabic and didn't dream I could shift to another language to write — but after 15 years, I wrote in Hebrew. I didn't have any lessons in the Hebrew language. It entered my body through my skin. I was caught by the musicality of the language. I created my own Hebrew. I was 48 when I started writing in Hebrew, and I used every cell of my body to write to the Israeli reader."
Michael thinks it's remarkable that today he is a grandfather to Jewish children. But he remains troubled by the war and tragedy around him. "When I open my eyes in the morning, I ask myself if it is the same world as it was when I went to sleep. That's the reality of living in the Middle East."
His new book was translated from Hebrew by Yael Lotan. Michael and his translator never consulted during the translation process. "I think translation is a creative work. The people around me say it is a good translation. I also enjoyed the film that was based on the book and shown in Israel, but I didn't do anything to influence it."
Michael believes his story could only have been told In Haifa. "It's a modern city. I sleep very peacefully at night. I'm sure of the people around me. When I go to the wadi, I don't look at my back. They accept me as I am. Someday there will be some type of co-existence between Arab and Israeli here. I can't say about Jerusalem or Tel Aviv."
Although his story is romantic, Michael admits to trying to make a political statement. "Peace can't come from suspicious politicians. Make love not war. If you want real peace, love other people."
In the book, an Arab woman falls in love with a Jewish man, causing both great consternation and discrimination. But Michael said, "I have many friends, Arabs and Jews, who are married. Even my physician (an Arab) is married to a Jewish woman. Marriages between Arab men and Jewish women are common. But this is perhaps the first time in literature when a Jewish man decided to marry an Arab woman. The whole thing is very hush hush. There are suspicions and hatreds."
Huda, the 30-year-old Arab woman in his story, is based on a real person, a poetess Michael knows. Alex, the Russian Jew who falls in love with Huda, is based on Michael's driver, an immigrant from Russia. "The real Huda and Alex didn't meet each other, but I knew them well. I believe you can have romantic love without saying a word. Seeing and thinking produces love. For Huda and Alex, the political conflict became stronger than their love."
The grandfather is an essential character in the novel. "I adore him. He is wise," said Michael. "He represents the wisdom of life. You see a lot of people like him in Egypt, where he came from. He is like an umbrella. He's flexible. He came from a traditional background. He's old but he can adjust to the changes in society."
"A Trumpet on the Wadi" has sold well in Israel — 120,000 copies — that's a huge number in a country like Israel, according to Michael. "They study it in high schools and universities. It shows Arabs are people like us. They are human beings. If one reader in 100 comes to this conclusion, I will be happy."
In the first draft of the book, Alex, the Russian immigrant, played an accordion, like Michael's driver. "But it had too many letters, so I changed it to trumpet. Besides, you can suppress your yearning better with a trumpet. A trumpet is a very personal interest. Alex is a modest man. I don't think he wanted to change anything. He was an innocent person from another culture. He was like an alien landing in another world. Then he saw the Israeli reality through an Arab girl."
Michael believes that when people are happy things change in their eyes, and that change is especially evident in the faces of people in love. "When Huda fell in love, she became prettier."
Michael shuns a computer and writes his novels in long hand. "Writing is so difficult, but I love it." Now that he is popular in Israel, he dislikes public life. He avoids restaurants because people want to shake his hand. "I don't like celebrity. I'm shy and modest."
E-MAIL: dennis@desnews.com