Birthdate: 1963
Gender: male
Awards and honors: Buchman Prize - Yad Vashem Institute (2002)
Sami Rohr Prize (2007)
Sapir Prize (2003)
Short biography: Amir Gutfreund was born in Haifa in 1963. He holds a MA in Applied Mathematics from the ITI (Israeli Technological Institute) and served in the Israeli Air Force for 20 years retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He lives with his family in a small village in the Galilee.

Literary Works:
Our Holocaust (2000): winner of the 2002 Buchman Prize from the Yad Vashem Institute and the 2007 Sami Rohr Prize; a novel based on Gutfreund's childhood memories, growing up as the son of two Holocaust survivors. The book has been translated into English, German and French.
Seashore Mansions (2002): winner of the 2003 Sapir Prize (Israel's Booker Prize). This collection of short stories is in the process of being translated into English.
The World, a Moment Later (2005): a novel which has been translated into English.
When Heroes Fly (2009) a novel which is currently being translated into English. [from israelispeakers.co.il]
Nationality: Israel
Birthplace: Haifa, Israel
Associated Place (for map): Haifa, Israel

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8 reviews

sandboxbooks 5 reviews

Our Holocaust by Amir Gutfreund

A young Israeli becomes obssessed by his need to tell the story of Holocaust survivors, both from his family and his neighborhood. An elegantly written book, with contemporary life in Israel interwoven with the death camp accounts. The author fears not those who coldly and efficiently did their duty with no personal gain or pleasure, but those who came to understand that the Holocaust allowed them to pursue their basest, most psychopathic and criminal impulses with no restraints or show more recriminations or accountablity. That segment of humanity is always with us, self-centered and amoral. We must not delude ourselves that the evil of the Holocaust was an aberration. show less

Apr 20, 20073 other reviews

booklove64 3 reviews

Our Holocaust by Amir Gutfreund

Very compelling book about remembering the Holocaust. The author makes the point this could happen again and he fears, not those who calmly followed orders for no personal gain, but those for whom everything was allowed with no consequences...the amoral

Apr 12, 20073 other reviews

datrappert 3,502 reviews

Last Bullet Calls It by Amir Gutfreund

Israeli detective searches for a serial killer (or killers) who leave Bruno Schultz quotes painted on the walls of the crime scene. He is aided by two misfit colleagues, a 17 year old girl, and a graffiti expert who doubles as as construction worker. With its settings and oddball cast of characters, the book succeeds in drawing the reader in and remains compelling throughout. But the writing, or perhaps the translation (two translators) is at times pedestrian or awkward. The finale, while show more incredibly cinematic, also doesn't hold up in retrospect since there would be no reason for the local detective to allow the final journey to take place. Still, I can't say I regret reading this. It definitely has its moments, but it suffers from too many digressions in too many voices (the killer's constant monologue, the victims thoughts, etc.) that are inconsistently written. The characters, while very interesting, are not fully fleshed out either, and their motivations are vague--other than the killer and the detective's one colleague who is just looking for an opportunity to use violence against someone. There is just too much going on in this story and it isn't well constructed. The author's running joke about the detective always trying to use coupons and failing also falls flat. It is a good example of the unsuccessful mixture of the truly interesting and truly mundane that makes up this book. show less

Feb 19, 2017

thatotter 446 reviews

Our Holocaust by Amir Gutfreund

I really enjoyed the first two sections of this book. I thought the quality of the writing was excellent, reminding me sometimes of the parts of Bolaño that I liked best. It was surprisingly funny and sharp for a book about the aftermath of the Holocaust. But I found the final section too long, too interested in coming to a neat conclusion, and not as well-written as the earlier sections.

If you're strongly affected by detailed stories about what happened during the Holocaust, you might want show more to skip this book--it contains a lot of those, both factual and fictional. show less

Feb 6, 20143 other reviews

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