Sandra, Alex, Heinz and Andrew discuss the novel.

Schmuel – a young idealistic student – has abandoned his studies in Jerusalem, taking a live-in job as a companion to a cantankerous old man. But Schmuel quickly becomes obsessed with the taciturn Atalia, a woman of enchanting beauty, who also lives in the house. As the household’s tangled, tragic past becomes apparent, so too does the story behind the birth of the state of Israel – currently being celebrated 70 years on. Journeying back into the deep past, ‘Judas’ is a love-story, as well as a provocative story about the origins of Christianity. Was Judas really a ‘traitor’, or did he love Christ so much, that he was the first real Christian….?

We discuss critically this extraordinary novel, read short extracts and interweave music by Schnittke, Parry, Haas and Mahler.