by Adam LeBor
‘In tracing the story of the bitter division of Israeli and Palestinian territories via some of the individual families who have lived in, or fled from, Jaffa since 1921, LeBor not only avoids academic dryness, but also manages to tell each of their stories without condemnation’ Rebecca Seal, Observer
‘Their stories are remarkable and typical of many involved in Jaffa’s turbulent century… City of Oranges brings us something quite different: the sound of ordinary people trying to get on with their lives in the middle of interminable conflict’ Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times
‘LeBor chose the perfect location… [he] also chose his characters wisely… This book is for anyone who loves the Middle East, but also for those who do not yet know it… LeBor succeeds in telling the story of ordinary people living in extraordinary times, and by doing that, tells us the painful story of Palestine itself’ Janine di Giovanni, Independent on Sunday
‘City of Oranges is one of only a few histories that attempt to incorporate the opposed narratives of ordinary Palestinians and Israelis’ Samir El-Youssef, New Statesman
‘LeBor does a wonderful job… [he] is impeccably even-handed in his treatment of the two communities’ Victoria Clark, Tablet
‘This is an enjoyable and useful book for everyone browsing through the hitherto unknown pages of the life of Arab Jaffa’s society’ Eyad Abushakra, Asharq Alawsat
‘Extensively researched and each major episode is chronicled in vigorous detail… powerful storytelling… LeBor’s primary triumph is to recreate the city of Jaffa as it was around 1920, when it was a bustling cosmopolitan port home to a myriad of peoples and ideas’ Ruben Brosbe, Jerusalem Post
‘An astute and balanced history of the area with pictures of real people experiencing the consequences of decisions made… LeBor brilliantly tells us how we got there’ David Aaronovitch, The Times
‘Beautifully written… It’s a far kinder and more human way into the migraine of Middle Eastern politics than most books. You can see the history slowly revealing itself in front of your eyes… the overwhelming impression left by this fine book is one of sadness, of the lost world of Jaffa, gone, and never to be replaced’ John Sweeney, Literary Review
‘LeBor’s Jaffa comes alive… his colourful protagonists move, marry, beget, build and break cross-faith trust and friendship. Some writers have a way with words, others an unerring nose for research. LeBor has both – plus compassion for the sufferings on all sides… LeBor leaves you moved’ Madeleine Kingsley, Jewish Chronicle
‘Engrossing… LeBor uses the deeply moving experiences of individuals as a lens through which to explore the complex history of Israel and Palestine in the twentieth century’ Melissa McClements, Financial Times Summer Reads
‘Family anecdotes pepper their larger family histories and the vivacity LeBor affords makes the reader feel like they are sitting in a coffee shop with the allocated family historian, wandering through their memory… LeBor’s aim was to make the conflict about the people involved, and by doing this he maintains a neutral voice while still raising political debate’ Jessica Salter, Leeds Student
‘Any journalist worth his salt knows that the best way to tell his story is through the eyes of a witness… LeBor chose his human faces of Jaffa well… compelling reading… he simply records their often heroic struggles to live honest, decent lives, in a world that is falling apart around them’ Robin Marshall, Budapest Sun
By the Same Author
A Heart Turned East:
Among the Muslims of Europe and America
Hitler’s Secret Bankers:
How Switzerland Profited from Nazi Genocide
Surviving Hitler:
Choices, Corruption and Compromise in the Third Reich
(with Roger Boyes)
Milosevic: A Biography
Complicity with Evil: The United Nations
in the Age of Modern Genocide
First published in Great Britain 2006
This electronic edition published in January 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Copyright © by Adam LeBor 2006
The right of Adam LeBor to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the Publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them. For legal purposes the copyright acknowledgements on p. 356 and the picture credits on pp. xv–xviii constitute an extension of the copyright page.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP.
Maps by Reginald Piggott, 2006
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 2769 7
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New York, Berlin and Sydney
www.bloomsbury.com/adamlebor
Visit www.bloomsbury.com to find out more about our authors and their books You will find extracts, author interviews, author events and you can sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers
