Sisyphus in Tel Aviv: AIDS in Yotam Reuveny's Night Diary

Yotam Reuveny's novel Night Diary was one of the first texts in Hebrew literature that engaged with the issue of HIV/AIDS. This groundbreaking text defied basic social concepts and cultural conventions of the time and opened the door to much more complex public discourse about homosexuality and gay identity in a context in which homosexuality was still illegal in Israel. Although generally overlooked, Night Diary is a sophisticated and ingenious text, which employs allusions and other literary techniques in order to offer comfort and solace to oppressed people. The novel stages gay cruising as an empowering act in a time of HIV/AIDS.