Preliminaries

S. Yizhar is penname of Yizhar Smilansky (1916-2006), who fought in Israel's 1948 War of Independence, served in the Knesset and wrote major fictions of early zionism, including Days of Ziklag. In 1992, at the age of 76, Yizhar wrote this autobiographical novel set in Palestine roughly between 1917 and 1930, fictionalizing his youth with his father, mother and elder brother. As it opens, ""Daddy,"" 45, strives to farm the hardscrabble land near the Negev and likes to write and read during his off-hours. ""Mummy"" dislikes their harsh life in the settlements, and questions their decision to stay. Friction with Arab neighbors is seen through a child's impressionable eyes. Money problems beset the family, especially during the depression. The rich, vibrant descriptions of the landscape and settlers stand out, as do homespun anecdotes such as movie-going and kite-flying. After 40 peripatetic years, the two parents use their life savings to build their own three-room house in a settlement. The episodic nature of these ""preliminaries"" requires readerly patience, but anyone interested in Israel's origins will find them to be of interest.