Arthur Koestler's great novel about the formative phase of modern Israel! Arthur Koestler was undoubtedly one of the most versatile and committed writers of the 20th century. As a journalist, a celebrated bestselling author in England, and a political activist, he explored boundaries and extremes like no other. Based on his own experiences in a kibbutz, he narrates the story of the founding of a Jewish settlement in Palestine on the eve of World War II. Skillfully intertwining fiction and historical documentation, Koestler, who completed his novel in 1945 in Jerusalem "in the exhausting, poisoned atmosphere of terrorism, brutality, and sorrow," provides a deeper understanding of the historical roots of the conflict between Arabs and Jewish settlers.

"Thieves in the Night" tells the story of Joseph, who leaves England in search of a new home in Palestine. Over the characters in the novel, inextricably entangled in historical contradictions, loom dark shadows: the Nazi persecution in Europe, the terror of the Arabs, the counter-terror of militant Jewish groups, and the increasing restrictions imposed by the British mandate that hinder Jewish resettlement. The longing of the young refugees fleeing the rising anti-Semitism in Europe for a safe homeland will not be fulfilled.

"A chronicle of mixed feelings" - DER SPIEGEL.