Betrothed Author:Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Peter Waldren "Betrothed" is a mystical love story by Israel's only Nobel Laureate, S.Y. Agnon. (He won the award in 1966.) This novella follows Jacob Rechnitz, a brilliant scholar who leaves the stuffiness of European academia for life among the early Zionists living in Palestine at the turn of the century. As in much of Agnon's fiction, the worlds o... more »f memory, illusion and reality blend. Jacob casually courts six girls, but his research of the sea (he is a marine biologist) is his only real love. Then his childhood sweetheart, Susan, and her father come to visit the area after a lengthy world tour. Susan reminds Jacob of their childhood vow of eternal fidelity. However, love appears to be halted as Susan develops a mysterious sleeping sickness and Jacob prepares for a university post in America. Finally, in a race on a moonlit beach where Jacob's six girlfriends compete for his affections, another figure -- Susan, asleep -- wins the competition and Jacob as well.« less