Oz and Yehoshua first met as teenagers. By 1967, they were gifted writers who had been publishing fiction and essays since 1950s. They had distinct attitudes about their ability to leverage their influence. Oz met regularly with Israeli politicians, travelled to international meetings and was acquainted with leaders around the world. Yehoshua did not maintain close ties with politicians and believed that Oz had too much faith in these meetings. From the late 1970s, Oz and Jehoshua were two of the most prominent intellectuals in Israel