Amos ʿOz

Oz, who died Dec. 28, co-founded Peace Now, a group that calls for negotiations with Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1988, 1991 and 2004

The latest book by Israeli author Amos Oz is A Tale Of Love And Darkness, a memoir of growing up in Jerusalem in the turbulent 1940s and '50s, when a war-torn Israel was achieving statehood. Oz's home life was as intense as the world outside.

The book follows Oz through his mother's suicide to a growing interest in politics and writing. Along the way, he chooses a new name for himself — Oz, the Hebrew word for strength — over his family's name, Klausner.

Oz is a veteran of the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and is a leading activist for peace between the Arabs and the Israelis. He's written his 11th novel, "Don't Call it Night." Oz received the German Publishers Peace Prize in 1992. Terry will also talk with him about the latest violence in the Middle East.