The Jester and the Kings: A Political Autobiography

A small child when he and his parents were rescued from the Warsaw ghetto by a Polish printer, Halter, author of The Book of Abraham , became a highly regarded Paris-based artist. This vivid autobiography, describing his experiences as an exiled Jew in Russia, Uzbekistan and now in France, centers on his ceaseless struggle to help bring peace to the Middle East. Encouraged by Gunter Grass, Heinrich Boll, Italo Calvino, Elie Wiesel and other writers, Halter and his wife formed a group of intellectuals who tried to succeed where diplomats and soldiers had failed: in setting up favorable conditions for dialogue between Arabs and Israelis. In their magazine Elements , in political conferences and in frequent visits to Israel and the Arab countries, they provided forums for such conversations. Halter's fast-moving account of his meetings with De Gaulle, Mendes-France, Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Dayan, Begin, Heykal, Sadat, Sana Hasan, Arafat and other leaders swings between hope and despair, between disappointment and exhilaration, but is always heartfelt. ( July )