Critics think that the authors' changing role is just one expression of a dramatic loss of interest in public life in the general population. In recent Jewish history, the tie between literature and politics began to form in the late 18th century, as the modern Jewish Enlightenment movement gained momentum. Their political goals were achieved through literary means. This was continued by Zionist luminaries such as Y.H. Brenner and Uri Zvi Greenberg. Today, it's a postmodern society, very divided, and there's no single literary or cultural center.
People are more focused on themselves, so that's what they write about.
It's a fact of modern life. Political changes have also made it harder for Israelis to be united ideologically. Literature begins again. People write about their own corner of Tel Aviv, and there's no attempt to write about the state. For Matalon, the best-selling author of one book of short stories and two novels, abandoning traditional perspective on her society was a deliberate choice.