The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/literature/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:11:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png Literature | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/literature/ 32 32 New Hebrew press in Berlin seeks to build literary home outside of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-hebrew-press-in-berlin-seeks-to-build-literary-home-outside-of-israel/ Wed, 06 May 2026 05:14:51 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3816623 Founders of Altneuland, the first such publishing house since the Jewish state's inception, embrace Israeli writers - and readers - while spurning government funding

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]]> Lone Star of David: How a short-lived plan saw persecuted European Jews reroot in Texas https://www.timesofisrael.com/lone-star-of-david-how-a-short-lived-plan-saw-persecuted-european-jews-reroot-in-texas/ Sat, 29 Nov 2025 00:59:44 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3558196 In her new book 'Melting Point,' Rachel Cockerell chronicles her ancestors' involvement in an obscure movement - exclusively in their own words

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]]> Jewish book subscription program pushes back against publishing industry antisemitism https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-book-subscription-program-pushes-back-against-publishing-industry-antisemitism/ Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:38:19 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3690207 Marking the centennial of one of the Jewish Book Council's foundational programs, 'Nu Reads' delivers books bimonthly with aim to boost writers and send a message to publishers

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]]> Gaza polemic denouncing indifference to Palestinian suffering wins US National Book Award https://www.timesofisrael.com/gaza-polemic-tale-of-iranians-helping-wwii-jewish-refugee-win-national-book-award/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 06:15:28 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3693894 Omar El Akkad, author of 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,' says it's 'difficult to think in celebratory terms' about book written 'in response to a genocide'

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]]> Salman Rushdie honored with Dayton Literary Peace Prize lifetime achievement award https://www.timesofisrael.com/salman-rushdie-honored-with-dayton-literary-peace-prize-lifetime-achievement-award/ Mon, 10 Nov 2025 03:27:14 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3684913 The 78-year-old author best known for his 1988 novel, 'The Satanic Verses,' wins award after publishing his first work of fiction since being stabbed on stage in 2022

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]]> Philip Roth’s latest biographer wants Jews to read him again — without the guilt https://www.timesofisrael.com/philip-roths-latest-biographer-wants-jews-to-read-him-again-without-the-guilt/ Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:21:22 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3674803 In 'Philip Roth: Stung by Life,' Stanford professor Steven Zipperstein argues for the brilliance and relevance of a writer who 'probed nearly every aspect of contemporary Jewish life'

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]]> Sam Sussman’s novel turns mystery of whether Bob Dylan is his father into ode to his mother https://www.timesofisrael.com/sam-sussmans-novel-turns-mystery-of-whether-bob-dylan-is-his-father-into-ode-to-his-mother/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:04:11 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3639497 In 'Boy from the North Country,' the writer leverages his real-life uncertain paternity into a fictional exploration of his late mother's wisdom, finding a legacy deeper than celebrity

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]]> Sex, drugs and anti-Zionism fuel this new woke novel about a Jewish summer camp experience https://www.timesofisrael.com/sex-drugs-and-anti-zionism-fuel-this-new-woke-novel-about-a-jewish-summer-camp-experience/ Sat, 06 Sep 2025 09:51:15 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3633297 In 'Lake Burntshore,' far-left Jewish-Canadian author Aaron Kreuter explores the increasing Israel dissonance felt by North American Jewish youth, even in the most utopian of settings

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]]> The semi-true story of two Soviet Jews sent abroad by Stalin to fundraise during WWII https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-semi-true-story-of-two-soviet-jews-sent-abroad-by-stalin-to-fundraise-during-wwii/ Sat, 26 Jul 2025 04:40:25 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3555515 Avner Landes discusses his new book 'The Delegation,' an account of the adventures - and dark fates - of an actor and poet sent to raise money from coreligionists in the West

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]]> Fiddling with writing, lawyer pens award-winning book about busking rabbi in NYC https://www.timesofisrael.com/fiddling-with-writing-lawyer-pens-award-winning-book-about-busking-rabbi-in-nyc/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 09:23:31 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3501551 Winning the National Jewish Book Award for his debut novel 'The Last Dekrepitzer' at age 74, banjo-playing law prof Howard Langer says it's not always about writing what you know

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]]> Blacklisted for Israel support, author draws strength from Holocaust survivor grandma https://www.timesofisrael.com/blacklisted-for-israel-support-author-draws-strength-from-holocaust-survivor-mom/ Sat, 30 Nov 2024 02:24:18 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3300411 Bestselling writer Lisa Barr – targeted by hecklers and review bombers – vows that though she wants to ‘curl up in a ball’ after Oct. 7, she will ‘fight back constructively’

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]]> Arthur Frommer, guidebook trailblazer who opened world to travelers, dies at 95 https://www.timesofisrael.com/arthur-frommer-guidebook-trailblazer-who-opened-world-to-travelers-dies-at-95/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:33:43 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3422813 Legendary Jewish writer made international travel feel attainable with budget-friendly tourism guides at a time when overseas trips were exclusive province of wealthy jet-setters

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]]> In striking art film, contemporary poets respond to the horrors of the Holocaust https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-striking-art-film-contemporary-poets-respond-to-the-horrors-of-the-holocaust/ Fri, 08 Nov 2024 03:30:17 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3405109 Screening in New York and Los Angeles, genre-defying film about how poetic language can heal trauma points to how Israelis and Jews could use it to cope in Oct. 7 aftermath

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]]> Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury, who praised Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught, dies at 76 https://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanese-novelist-elias-khoury-who-praised-hamass-oct-7-onslaught-dies-at-76/ Mon, 16 Sep 2024 02:18:41 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3376388 Prominent columnist used his voice over the years to back Palestinians, chastise Israel's establishment and settlement policies; he also hailed Arab Spring, taught at universities

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]]> How author Gabrielle Zevin has become a literary scapegoat for anti-Israel activists https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-author-gabrielle-zevin-has-become-a-literary-scapegoat-for-anti-israel-activists/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 01:43:40 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3338894 Reflecting a wider trend since October 7, the writer has been accused of being a Zionist, and therefore, worthy of a boycott -- most recently by a Chicago bookstore's book club

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