רוחות הרפאים של ואדי סליב

על נראות, ניכוס והדרה בספרות העברית

תקציר

This article explores the question of whether the past of a place can reveal itself through the literary text, by analyzing Hebrew literary representations of the renowned Wadi Salib neighborhood in Haifa. It presents an analysis of five literary works that are set in Wadi Salib and depict its streets and houses, with the objective of investigating the visibility (or absence thereof) of the Palestinian past of this space. Drawing on the theoretical writings of Michel de Certeau on space and memory, the article’s central question revolves around the capacity to see, decipher and interpret: Do the ruins of Wadi Salib, which present their past as a “present absence”, necessarily lead to the unveiling of this past for present-day observers and to those who encounter it through the words of a written text? This examination illuminates the various obstacles that the space of the past must traverse in order to become visible to present-day readers through the language of literature. The various instances of non-revelation, partial revelation, and momentary flickers of the Palestinian past of Wadi Salib within the analyzed works raise significant questions, not only about the ability to discern the traces of the past imprinted in this space but also concerning the role of literature in facilitating possibilities of seeing. Thus, the representations of Wadi Salib in Hebrew literature, beyond their significance within the Israeli cultural field, offer a means to investigate the intricate interplay between space, representation, visibility, and interpretation.