The Blue Mountain / Meir Shalev (1991)

Meir Shalev is also one of Israel’s finest novelists. Rather left wing in his politics, he combines a critical eye with a deep love of the Bible and of the scent and the feel of the land. I include him here not only because he is great, but because he breaks down the stereotype that love of the land must lead to the “right” in politics. His latest books, unfortunately, aren’t yet in English.