A Guest for the Night

"Agnon's greatest achievement is his novel A Guest for the Night, which tells of a visit to the war-ruined city of his childhood, and of the narrator's vain attempts to assemble the congregation for a service in the synagogue. Within the framework of a local chronicle we see a wonderful portrayal of destinies and figures, of experience and meditation- in all, consummate expression of Jewish character." -from Nobel prize committee award citation.