The Pure Element Of Time

A rich autobiographical novel of the sentimental education of one of modern Israel's foremost literary talents.

Published in 1998 as Havalim, The Pure Element of Time is a rich and evocative autobiographical novel about a writer's development. With his keen eye and opulent writing style, Haim Be'er turns the story of his childhood and maturity into a complex and gripping work of art. Constructed as a triptych, The Pure Element of Time begins with the author's boyhood. Raised in an orthodox family in an old Jerusalem neighborhood in the early 1950s, Be'er was profoundly influenced by his overly pious grandmother, who was, nonetheless, a natural storyteller whose richly evocative parables and tales inspired his lifelong love for language. The middle section depicts his parents' marriage, a tragic misalliance between a smart, independent Jerusalem-born woman and a withdrawn and defeated refugee from the Russian pogroms. The emergence of the writer's individual literary voice--informed by, yet ultimately transcending, the influences of tradition and history--forms the emotional and psychological core of Be'er's work.

"This treatise is intended primarily for those who have not already studied psychology, and now propose to give it thoughtful attention. It is therefore elementary, as its title indicates, and is introductory to the abundant and growing literature of the science. Though no previous acquaintance with the subject is requisite, yet as it can by no means be made light and easy, even an elementary treatise must presuppose mental maturity in the reader, and habits of thoughtful study. For him I have tried to prepare a statement of psychological doctrine broad and true, on which he may build by his own thinking and wider reading. If his occupations do not permit this, he will at least have acquired a rounded knowledge of the generally approved principles and chief features of the science. A reader already acquainted with the history and literature of psychology will find many familiar things restated. Let him remember that the treatise is for the novice. But he will find some familiar things modified, and some things new. A few may be indicated as follows : The material object immediately perceived; the argument for immediate perception; the modified view of intuition; the argument for duality; the relation of feeling to cognition; the character and place assigned to belief; the separation of feeling and desire; the defense of freedom in willing"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Did you know that without the 'lead' in your pencil, there would be no life on Earth? Absolutely everything in the universe is made from just 92 elements - and from aluminium to zinc, many of them are hiding in your very own home! This funny and fascinating guide is bursting with brilliant facts about the atomic ingredients that make up everything around us. Join scientific sleuth Sherlock Ohms as he investigates the elements, and help his enquiries with explosive experiments.