National Library counts 169 publications so far about Oct. 7
Annual survey updated to show effects of ongoing war and hostage situation on writing process
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
With the approach of the one-year mark of the October 7 Hamas attack, Israel’s National Library updated its annual book publishing survey, showing that 169 books and other publications have come out in the last 12 months about the events of that day and the ensuing war.
The publications include 23 books of poetry and prose, 30 works of nonfiction and philosophy, and 29 tomes of testimony and stories of heroism.
The report refers to books and publications published from October 7, 2023, to September 25, in Israel and abroad, on topics related directly to the war, the hostages, stories of heroism, demonstrations and protests, memoirs, books published in memory of the murdered and fallen, the global rise in antisemitism, academic research, and other related topics.
Books of testimonies and stories of heroism are the most prominent, with a total of 29 so far, followed by a similar number of works of nonfiction about the effects of the terrorist attack and the war on Israel and Israeli society, the hostages, the IDF war campaign and the responsibility of the political echelon.
There are 14 poetry books and nine works of prose, 18 books about Jewish thought, faith and new prayers, 11 art books including photographs, paintings, illustrations and cartoons, three new children’s books and 42 studies and reports by research institutes in Israel and abroad.
The survey is based, in part, on data about books received under The Books Law, which requires anyone publishing a book of more than 50 copies to deposit two copies with the National Library of Israel. The library has appealed to self-published authors and non-Israeli publishers to send two copies of their works to the Library.
The survey is considered only a snapshot, as writing books is a lengthy process and hundreds of books about the situation are expected in the coming years.
In the first year after the Yom Kippur War, some 300 books were published. Over the following 50 years, thousands more followed.
The next survey of books published since October 7, 2023, will be issued in June 2025 as part of the National Library of Israel’s annual book survey, released in time for Hebrew Book Week.
