{"id":9551,"date":"2025-10-30T17:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T17:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/reviews\/review-o-balla\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T12:26:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:26:49","slug":"review-o-balla","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/reviews\/review-o-balla\/","title":{"rendered":"Review O. Balla"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"9551\" class=\"elementor elementor-9551 elementor-2848\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba717ad e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ba717ad\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd2fac2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"dd2fac2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"11572\" class=\"elementor elementor-11572\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43a18448 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"43a18448\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2de6d04e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2de6d04e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/main-menu\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"63\" src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/home-11-en.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9439\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f483667 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4f483667\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"115\" src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/title_page_v-new-en-light.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-12053\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7822402 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7822402\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/reviews\/reviews-toc\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rev-buttn-en_sm.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-11580\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d46d06a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d46d06a\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a76ce1c elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"a76ce1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"container\" data-elementor-id=\"9446\" class=\"elementor elementor-9446\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-faa29eb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"faa29eb\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46ca16b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46ca16b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9087fe6 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9087fe6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #bababa;\">\u00a9 Jonathan Vidgop\u00a0 | Artist A. Gorenstein<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61b7faf elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpml-language-switcher\" data-id=\"61b7faf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"wpml-language-switcher.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpml-elementor-ls\">\n<div class=\"wpml-ls-statics-shortcode_actions wpml-ls wpml-ls-legacy-list-horizontal\">\n\t<ul role=\"menu\"><li class=\"wpml-ls-slot-shortcode_actions wpml-ls-item wpml-ls-item-ru wpml-ls-first-item wpml-ls-last-item wpml-ls-item-legacy-list-horizontal\" role=\"none\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/\" class=\"wpml-ls-link\" role=\"menuitem\"  aria-label=\"Switch to \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\" title=\"Switch to \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\" >\n                                                        <img decoding=\"async\"\n            class=\"wpml-ls-flag\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/plugins\/sitepress-multilingual-cms\/res\/flags\/ru.svg\"\n            alt=\"\"\n            width=18\n            height=12\n    \/><span class=\"wpml-ls-native\" lang=\"ru\">\u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7adb4cf e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7adb4cf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec59156 elementor-widget elementor-widget-wpml-language-switcher\" data-id=\"ec59156\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"wpml-language-switcher.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wpml-elementor-ls\">\n<div class=\"wpml-ls-statics-shortcode_actions wpml-ls wpml-ls-legacy-list-horizontal\">\n\t<ul role=\"menu\"><li class=\"wpml-ls-slot-shortcode_actions wpml-ls-item wpml-ls-item-ru wpml-ls-first-item wpml-ls-last-item wpml-ls-item-legacy-list-horizontal\" role=\"none\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/\" class=\"wpml-ls-link\" role=\"menuitem\"  aria-label=\"Switch to \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\" title=\"Switch to \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\" >\n                                                        <img decoding=\"async\"\n            class=\"wpml-ls-flag\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/plugins\/sitepress-multilingual-cms\/res\/flags\/ru.svg\"\n            alt=\"\"\n            width=18\n            height=12\n    \/><span class=\"wpml-ls-native\" lang=\"ru\">\u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7193afa e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7193afa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;position&quot;:&quot;fixed&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cfaa451 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cfaa451\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa7bb72 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"fa7bb72\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1364314 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1364314\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe0dd22 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fe0dd22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"t-int\" style=\"text-align: center;\">TESTIMONY<\/h2><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b1fb31 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4b1fb31\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e02fb12 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e02fb12\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\"><div class=\"col-8\"><p style=\"text-align: right;\">&#8220;Jewish Panorama&#8221; 2 (80), February 2021<br \/>Review by O. Balla-Gertman of the novel &#8220;Testimony&#8221;<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84acae5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"84acae5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9553\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Olga-Balla.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2db6e9 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2db6e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> <\/p><hr>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b346e3a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b346e3a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"543\" src=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/svid_auth.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-9554\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/svid_auth.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/svid_auth-221x300.jpg 221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4242183 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4242183\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Portrait of the author. Artist Olga Ogneva <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-170069d elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"170069d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\"><div class=\"col-8\"><p>We would see the genetic kinship of the Israeli prose writer&#8217;s novel with Kafka&#8217;s texts even if the author had not provided the book with an epigraph taken from him. The kinship is not very close, like between uncle and nephew, grandfather and grandson: the resemblance is undeniable, but there is much else besides. Vidgop is more concrete, more psychological, more sensual than his &#8220;relative&#8221; who tends toward formulaic expression (among his ancestors is Bruno Schulz with his sensual exuberance). In any case, we have before us the fruit of the same branch of European literature that produced the dreamers of Prague and Drohobych.<\/p><p>Literature knows how to be European even when written in Israel, and in Russian at that: it&#8217;s a matter of worldview models. The time of this text is an indefinite European everytime (under Franz Joseph? under Queen Victoria?), the place is something like Europe in general: what is narrated, it seems, could have happened anywhere and anytime. The text, deliberately correct in its literariness, seems translated. And it is indeed a translation: from pan-European into the author&#8217;s native, transparently precise Russian.<\/p><\/div><\/div><p>&#8220;My family, having long since gone bankrupt, managed to make itself a cozy little nest near Trieste. And there my numerous virgin and widowed sisters from morning till night ground down the bones of my dear mother, father, and unfortunate brother&#8230;&#8221;<\/p><p>What for Kafka and Schulz is living contemporaneity, for the author is a subject of careful, deliberate reconstruction.<\/p><p>There is almost nothing Jewish as such here\u2014in the narrow ethnographic sense. Those few places where it appears (well, for instance: &#8220;The life of a righteous Jew consists in observing six hundred and thirteen commandments. The restrictions we impose on ourselves seem like salvation to us. We cover ourselves with them like a shield to forget the truth that drills our brain relentlessly&#8221;) change nothing in this regard. But precisely for this reason the novel seems to me very Jewish\u2014and related to Kafka in just such a deep sense: in the universality of a view that reveals fundamental structures.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-087f0bd elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"087f0bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<hr><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/books\/\">Bookshelf<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7325ac7 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7325ac7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TESTIMONY \u00a0 &#8220;Jewish Panorama&#8221; 2 (80), February 2021Review by O. Balla-Gertman of the novel &#8220;Testimony&#8221; Portrait of the author. Artist Olga Ogneva We would see the genetic kinship of the Israeli prose writer&#8217;s novel with Kafka&#8217;s texts even if the author had not provided the book with an epigraph taken from him. The kinship is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":9368,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_canvas","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9551","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9551"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11585,"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9551\/revisions\/11585"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vidgop.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}