The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree is a book of true stories with an extraordinary scope. It is about family, about home, about the journeys that reveal to us who we are, and the ways in which contemporary tales reflect ancient myths.

Arnold Zable writes about the rhythms of life on this Greek island, and the villagers who made the long voyage to Australia. He also weaves tales set in Athens, Thessaloniki, Poland and outback Australia and tells of Yiddish actors and writers in search of new audiences in a new land.

At the heart of this book is Zable's understanding of our obligations to the wanderers among us, the dispossessed and the stateless. He makes a gift of their stories in The Fig Tree, celebrating the common threads of humanity that bind us all.