"I was totally enchanted by Minotaur， a book that transcends time. If Chekhov were to enter the room and ask where he should begin with contemporary literature， I would put Minotaur on his reading list， with the conviction that I would be introducing him to a kindred spirit."-Financial Times "A novel about the expectations and compromises that humans create for themselves . . . very much in the manner of William Faulkner and Lawrence Durrell."-The New York Times "After reading the last line， you feel like holding the book in your hands for a while， with love and anger， before putting it back on the shelf of timeless novels."-Corriere della Sera "An uncommon and suggestive spy story， love story and much more， that charms the reader. Not to be missed."-L Unit An Israeli secret agent falls hopelessly in love with a young English girl. Utilizing his network of shady contacts and his professional expertise， he takes control of her life without ever revealing his identity. Minotaur， named Book of the Year in England in 1981， is a complex and utterly original story about a solitary man driven from one side of Europe to the other by his obsession. Benjamin Tammuz was born in Russia in 1919 and immigrated to Palestine with his family at the age of five. Tammuz was a sculptor as well as a diplomat， writer， and for many years， literary editor of the Ha aretz newspaper. His numerous novels and short stories have received many literary prizes. Benjamin Tammuz died in 1989.