Media Center: 'Hostage' by Elie Wiesel

WHO: Elie Wiesel

WHAT: HOSTAGE, a novel

WHEN:
Published by Knopf August 24, 2012

WHERE: Set in Brooklyn

WHY:
“A journey through dream, memory, and especially storytelling.
In 1975, Shaltiel Feigenberg is captured and imprisoned in a basement for 80 hour. Politically unimportant and practically unknown before his capture, Feigenberg soon becomes front-page news, though his plight is reported in wildly different ways by the world press.
“His captors represent divergent political realities. One is an Italian political revolutionary with no particular animus against Jews, while the second is a passionate advocate for Palestine with an intense hatred for the ‘Zionist cause.’ They demand that three Palestinian prisoners be freed in exchange for Feigenberg.
“Feigenberg is mystified by his captivity, for he’s simply a professional storyteller with a special fondness for spinning his tales to children and the elderly. He begins to frame the narrative of his life in much the same way he frames the stories he makes up to entertain others. Even the Israeli government—a government that notoriously does not negotiate with terrorists —gets involved in trying to track down the elusive captive…
“Wiesel continues to remind us of the brilliant possibilities of the philosophical and political novel.” —KIRKUS, a starred review

“Provocative.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Sure to spark discussion about Middle Eastern history and politics.”
—Hazel Rochman, BOOKLIST

Translated from the French by Catherine Temerson.

Media Resources:
About the book | Author bio | Read an excerpt | Download the jacket or the author photo | Listen to the RH Audiobook

Publicity:
Erinn Hartman | 212-572-2345 | ehartman@randomhouse.com