Panther in the Basement

One day, Proffi sees the words "low-down traitor" painted on his wall, and next thing he knows, he is summoned to a trial for his treachery. What is he guilty of? Proffi is a twelve-year old boy from Jerusalem. It is 1947 and Israel is on the verge of independence. The British are still in the country and as they prepare to leave, everyone is speculating what is going to happen. We get to know the situation from Proffi's point of view (he, as an adult, is the narrator), and, although he is a library rat and an unusually intelligent (bookish intelligence though) boy, who likes to play with words and loves encyclopedias, obviously he does not understand everything. With his two friends, they are obsessed with the war and form an underground unit, playing heroes of the Israeli liberation movement which is the authority accusing him now of treachery. Proffi wonders on the subject of treachery, war, freedom, enemy (Sergeant Dunlop is the person who he befriends on the "enemy" side), but also on the usual subjects the boy of twelve could think about - women, friendship, his own future. His interpretations of the things he sees are often wrong, but his intuition is usually right. That is the source of his doubts and the reason for a lot of real philosophical, universal questions that are tackled in this compact novel. Proffi recalls the events as he remembers them, but it is obvious that he - unconsciously- learns a lot during that summer (pay attention to the words of Yardena, which he completely misunderstands at the time!). "Panther in the Basement" talks about the basic, human feelings and deals with issues everyone wonders about, however its setting in Israel at the historically crucial point is essential. Amos Oz is one of the writers who possess the ability of talking without unnecessary embellishments about important matters and do not repeat themselves or autoplagiarize. His books stay with the reader for a long time and I have a feeling that they are timeless and will be read for years to come.

Seeing himself as a "panther in the basement," much like Tyrone Power in a favorite old film, Proffi, the 12-year-old son of activist parents in Jerusalem in 1947, is a member of an "underground cell" which he and two friends have formed. Their objective, like that of their parents, is the ouster of the British, who have been mandated by the UN to set up a Jewish homeland. Though the children enjoy "spying" and see themselves as glorious heroes, their plans of attack are distinctly childish. When Proffi finds himself drawn to Sgt. Stephen Dunlop, a gentle, shy British soldier from Canterbury, who wants to learn Hebrew and to teach Proffi English, Proffi justifies this friendship as his chance to probe for information for his own "secret DOD agency." Declared by his friends Ben Hur and Chita Reznik to be a "lowdown traitor" when this relationship is discovered, Proffi feels isolated, at a crossroads in his life. Jerusalem is under constant curfews, the British are searching houses for weapons, his parents are involved in an underground movement, and he himself is beginning to become interested in girls--at least in Yardena, the nineteen-year-old sister of Ben Hur. As we come to know her, the people of the neighborhood, and the people important to Proffi, such as Mr. Gihon, his teacher, we see Proffi's knowledge and insights to be those of a twelve-year-old child whose belief in a bright future is absolute. The powerful, often poetic language of this coming-of-age novel, along with its lively humor and warm understanding of human nature, make this an unforgettable novel of great universality. Told by an adult narrator who accurately captures Proffi's youthful viewpoint, the novel paints a picture of a loving, scholarly family seeking peace and knowledge, even as they actively try to expel "perfidious Albion." As we watch their interchanges with each other, with Proffi, and with British soldiers, we see them as decent people who want to be left in peace in a homeland of their own, to recover from the traumas of the Holocaust. Filled with gorgeous sense impressions and images (the description of the father's library is stunning), the novel draws in the reader with its contagious warmth and good humor. Written by one of Israel's most highly regarded novelists, this short novel is an eloquent and elegant testament to enduring values. Mary Whipple

This book is hard to fully appreciate until you've read it several times. I read it in Hebrew, and I have to admit that Oz must be one of the greatest Israeli authors. The word play (I don't know how well it came out in the English translation), childish and powerfully metaphoric all at once, of a boy growing up in a developing Jerusalem, with his internal struggles reflected in the entire Jewish history, forms one of the most poignant books I have ever read. On a personal note, I grew up in a Jerusalem of the 1980s, a city full of life, completely developed, with cultural centers, theaters, malls, parks, opera houses, etc. Reading this book has made me truly conscious of and made me truly appreciate the immense amount of change and progress Jerusalem has gone through in the past few decades. Also recommended - A Tale of Love and Darkness, although I don't know how it came out in the English translation.

Seeing himself as "panther in the basement," much like Tyrone Power in a favorite old film, Proffi, the 12-year-old son of activist parents in Jerusalem in 1947, is a member of an "underground cell" which he and two friends have formed. Their objective, like that of their parents, is the ouster of the British, who have been mandated by the UN to set up a Jewish homeland. Though the children enjoy "spying" and see themselves as glorious heroes, their plans of attack are distinctly childish. When Proffi finds himself drawn to Sgt. Stephen Dunlop, a gentle, shy British soldier from Canterbury, who wants to learn Hebrew and to teach Proffi English, Proffi justifies this friendship as his chance to probe for information for his own "secret DOD agency." Declared by his friends Ben Hur and Chita Reznik to be a "lowdown traitor" when this relationship is discovered, Proffi feels isolated, at a crossroads in his life. Jerusalem is under constant curfews, the British are searching houses for weapons, his parents are involved in an underground movement, and he himself is beginning to become interested in girls--at least in Yardena, the nineteen-year-old sister of Ben Hur. As we come to know her, the people of the neighborhood, and the people important to Proffi, such as Mr. Gihon, his teacher, we see Proffi's knowledge and insights to be those of a twelve-year-old child whose belief in a bright future is absolute. The powerful, often poetic language of this coming-of-age novel, along with its lively humor and warm understanding of human nature, make this an unforgettable novel of great universality. Told by an adult narrator who accurately captures Proffi's youthful viewpoint, the novel paints a picture of a loving, scholarly family seeking peace and knowledge, even as they actively try to expel "perfidious Albion." As we watch their interchanges with each other, with Proffi, and with British soldiers, we see them as decent people who want to be left in peace in a homeland of their own, to recover from the traumas of the Holocaust. Filled with gorgeous sense impressions and images (the description of the father's library is stunning), the novel draws in the reader with its contagious warmth and good humor. Written by Israel's most highly regarded novelist, this short novel is an eloquent and elegant testament to enduring values. Mary Whipple

1947 Jerusalem - "Proffy," age 12, spends his days recreating famous battles on his living room floor and plotting with two friends the overthrow of the British occupation. His firm conviction that all British are evil, however, is shaken when he meets Sgt. Stephen Dunlop. Dunlop is an overweight, asthmatic, lonely man who loves Israel and longs to speak her language better. Convincing himself that teaching Dunlop Hebrew is a form of espionage, Proffy begins regular meetings with Dunlop.Proffy's friends, however, declare the meetings treason. This forces the intellectual boy to think long and hard about what constitutes an enemy and why wars begin in the first place. Both Proffy and Dunlop love the Bible. In fact, Dunlop's greatest desire is to read the Bible in Hebrew. He shares Proffy's conviction that God wants Israel belong to the Jews. How can such a man be an enemy?Oz is one of Israel's most famous authors. Clearly this novel is as much about Israel's present conflict with the Palestinians as it is about the wars of his youth. Proffy's friend said, "Loving the enemy is the height of treachery." Yet that is what Jesus commanded. Panther in the Basement, then, is a novel as much for Christians as Jews, and I heartily recommend it. Kathleen T. Choi, HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD