The book 'An African Sunset' is my first one, and is based on my own experience while I served my country in Togo, West Africa; and to what I have been exposed in that part of the world. It is fiction of course, but it does describe the slow and steady morale decadence of a small group of people, who were sent to assist the population of a certain country. In spite of the ideals and good wishes of those who sent them and that group's own expectations, the sudden change in their status of life compared with the locals poverty, turns them into arrogant and covetous lot without their being aware to it. The protagonist Reuven Shatz, a young agricultural expert, joins a small Israeli diplomatic delegation in a West African country. He is sent there to replace an agricultural instructor whose term there reached its end. Hardly a week passes and he is already acquainted with the trivial disputes among the delegation's members. Major Everon the agricultural delegation's head takes him under his guidance, keeps him away from the foreign office delegates, and does his best to adjust Shatz not just to the harsh local climate, but to the way of life that he himself leads there. As Shatz is supposed to replace Priel his predecessor as smoothly as possible, he is requested to work in correlation with him at the farm near the town of Dialo; thus he spends the few days up to the Priels' departure at their cottage as their guest. The delicate matter to accept him as their guest, is mediated quite rudely by Everon. During his stay with the Priels Shatz learns much about the rupture between his hosts and the rest of the delegation members; the strange way in which his predecessor is being exploited by Da-Silva, the local farm manager; and of Hilla, Priel's wife obssesive fear of that powerful man. He falls in love with Hilla, and conducts a very strange and short love affair with her, which ends up to his bitter disappointment when the Priels leave. Shatz spends his evenings with Everon the delegation's head at the club, not far from Mouaka the capital; there he meets Janine, the young daughter of one of Everon's closest French associates. His flirt with Janine gets on Everon's nerves. Everon is terribly jelouse and makes up a scene during the ride back at 100 miles per hour, and almost overturns the car endangering their lives in a heated dispute. That dramatic scene brings Shatz's salvation in its wake. He frees himself completely from Everon's patronage and gets the support of the embassy staff, but he has to face the consequences - a hearing at the embassy, before the ambassador who tries to solve in vain the dispute between Shatz and Everon. On the verge of being sent back home Shatz tightens his relationships with the rest of embassy members, and with Janine and her father, against the ambassador's strict orders.
I was born, brought up and educated in Tel-Aviv Israel. I've served compulsory and regular service in field units, and served my country in East and West Africa and in several other countries in the continent too. At the early seventies of the previous century I've discovered my real potential and dedicated most of my leisure time to painting and writing. Petach-Tikva, Israel.
