Alexander Ilichevsky, "Narrow Sky, Wide River," Tel Aviv: Babel, 2024

This text by one of the most prominent contemporary writers was first published in a large literary journal in 2016. Eight years later, it was released as a standalone edition and is now available in Europe. It's a story about the different ways past events live in memory, a tale of youth, friendship, love, and betrayal. The story's framework is a river trip between old friends, but its center is impressionistic descriptions of nature and philosophical dialogues. The author creates a space for her characters that compels them to immerse themselves in memories and see reflections of their present in past events. This lyrically subtle, nostalgic, and wise story offers the reader a perspective that answers many questions of modern man, leaving only one open: can a river carry away all of the past?
"Home for me is not a country, not a state, not a city—it's a plain, hills, land, forests. To understand this, just get out of the car and look into the distance, as the river turns."

