The journalist Leon Abramowitz had no intention of immigrating to Israel. However, in the year 1922, four years after he has been sent from chilly Europe to report about the lives of the pioneers in Palestine, he learns that the editor who sent him on this mission has run off with half the newspaper’s money and Abromovitz has been forgotten in the promised wasteland.  THE WORLD A MOMENT LATER is the wonderful story of Abromovitz and his two sons, one of whom stays behind in Europe and the other, Chaim, who follows his father to Israel.

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Rights Sold:

World English language rights, Toby Press; Israel, Kinneret Zmora Bitan

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Reviews:

“Gutfreund, blending documentary precision with wild flights of fancy, takes you inside the very process of "becoming" Israeli in the 20th century…There's humor here, but also real drama and insight into how a country, however unified it looks from the outside, is often an unwieldy vessel with a host of contrarian oarsmen trying to steer it in different directions — plus one kite-flier heading off on a tangent entirely her own.” - The Seattle Times

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“Although there is heroism and tragedy in this novel, the tone is ironic and often humorous. The writing is clear, unvarnished, and has a simple beauty... Some readers may miss a prolonged focus on one character, but the true protagonist of this novel is a nation surviving in face of the constant threat of war. Gutfreund does not idealize or vilify Israel, Israelis, or human beings in general. He gives the reader a sense of his affection for all three. I cannot imagine reading this book without being deeply moved by the story of Israel.” - Historical Novels Review

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“In this book, a lot of disappointed dreamers discover what one cannot find in the pages of history: the pains, errors, missed chances, broken hearts and tragedies of the little people who built the country but had no street named after them. With this book, Amir Gutfreund has, within three years of his appearance on the Israeli literary scene, become a beloved writer with a large following.” – Yediot Ahronot

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“The new and inventive novel by Guttfreund has turned into an immediate cult read....We all read A Hundred Years of Solitude and long thought we deserve out very own Maconda. Well, here we have it!”  – Ariana Melamed, Ynet