Fell in love

Have you ever fallen in love with someone much older than you and the same sex? Well, it happened to Rivi, a 14-year-old girl who falls in love with Michaela, her literature teacher at school. And surprising or not, Michaela has fallen in love with Rivi, and their erotic love for each other has continued for years …

This, apparently, is the core of “Dehest Anne” by Judith Katzir (Feminist Press, 2008), who has devoted page after page to describe, in great detail, the erotic love between the two; their yearnings for each other; their “sexual games”; his adductive love, forbidden. Written in a beautiful and aesthetic language, while reading the book you cannot put it aside; you are drawn to whatever happens between the two of you, at one point wishing you had been a fly on your wall …

The power of attraction

The reason for the “pull” of readers is simple. The sexual descriptions are written with elegance and beauty, and as much as the two women never “got tired” of each other and never had enough, the reader never feels that they have read enough. In part, it’s due to Judith Katzir’s beautiful artistic language, which makes the book not just a page-turning, but an aesthetic experience in its depiction of places, characters, love, and sexual attraction.

But the reader’s attraction to the book is due not only to the erotic descriptions, but also to another crucial point: as much as the love story between the 14-year-old girl and her 27-year-old teacher is “unique” for both of them. , echoes the universal love stories of people throughout history (not necessarily between two people of the same sex and different age groups) and quite possibly echoes some of you own experiences with love and eroticism.

Existential and universal problems of daily life

Yet another reason for the attractive power of the book is the breadth of the themes it presents to us: the novel circles around existential themes such as: where is the balance, or the border, between love and passion, between giving and abusing?

What motivates people to do what they do and behave the way they do? Is there “pure love” or is love often based on need, on the need to be loved and accepted?

In addition to these – and other – questions, the novel deals with, among others, questions of existential love, illness and death, childhood and femininity, aspirations, disappointments, forgiveness and missed opportunities (such as: If I had to live my life again, would what would I have done? differently?).

Our personal life in front of “dear Anne”

By raising such important and universal questions, Katzir’s book encourages readers, in addition to experiencing sheer pleasure in reading his book, to delve deeper into our own life, our own fantasies and aspirations, our own love (or lack of), our own life experiences, sorrows and / or moments of joy. It also prompts us, consciously or unconsciously, to ask questions regarding our self-awareness, as well as our understanding, or lack thereof, of the way we “do” life; the way we communicate with our loved ones; the way we hurt ourselves and others and, last but not least, the fears and needs that drive us to behave the way we do.

Self awareness

This theme of being self-aware is treated elegantly but hesitantly throughout the book. Is Rivi, as a 14-year-old girl, aware of what she is doing? Are you aware of the dangers that lie ahead? Are you aware of what motivates you to fall in love, lie to your mother, and obsess over your love for Michaela? Are you aware of the (bad) relationships you have with your mother and understand how they might have led her to fall in love with Michaela?

Again, these questions motivate readers to think and contemplate our own parental qualities – or lack – if we have children and on the relationships – lack – that we have developed with them.

The pleasure of reading as an inspiring board to develop our own conscience.

Katzir’s “Dear Anne” not only gives us pleasure to read a brave, well-crafted and aesthetically written “love story” (it could U.S Have we had the courage to actualize our own love or other desires that we might have had?), But it also raises a lot of existential-philosophical questions about life in general. So if we want to (and have the courage to delve into it), the book encourages us to address questions regarding our own life, encouraging us to see and observe, in retrospect, our own missed achievements and opportunities (whether related to love or otherwise).

“Dear Anne” can become an inspiring board for us to develop our self-awareness regarding our own life, in the face of the universal problems that the book presents before us.