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International Writers Festival

Writer Bernard-Henri Lévy at the 2025 Jerusalem International Writers Festival (Courtesy)
April 27, 2026, 4:32 pm
Dara Horn, Joseph Finder among visiting authors at annual writer’s festival
Director acknowledges difficulty in securing guests for next month’s Jerusalem event given boycotts and Israel’s paper-thin favorability in literary world
By Jessica Steinberg
Writer Bernard-Henri Lévy will speak at the opening event of Jerusalem International Writers Festival, May 18. 2025. (Credit Alexis Duclos)
April 14, 2025, 11:32 pm
Bernard-Henri Lévy to open Writers Fest, Book Forum in Jerusalem in May
Jerusalem Prize to be awarded to French author Michel Houellebecq, who has written about France becoming Islamic
By Jessica Steinberg
Novelist John Irving was scheduled to appear at the upcoming Jerusalem Writers Festival opening May 27, 2024, but had to cancel his in-person appearance due to a bout of COVID-19. (Courtesy: Derek O'Donnell)
May 26, 2024, 9:51 am
Novelist John Irving cancels long-awaited Israel visit due to COVID-19
Author was coming for Jerusalem Writers Festival and to work on final chapter of latest book, ‘Queen Esther,’ set in 1980s Jerusalem; now. he’ll do a Zoom interview for festival
By Jessica Steinberg
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan in Israel for the 11th Jerusalem Writers Festival May 8-11, 2023 (Courtesy Chen Wagshall)
May 9, 2023, 5:50 am
Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan avoids tech, but imagines it for her characters
In Israel for 11th Jerusalem Writers Festival, writer says of her latest book, ‘The Candy House,’ that she lets her sense of curiosity guide her
By Jessica Steinberg
Author Margaret Atwood speaks at the National Book Critics Circle awards ceremony Thursday, March 16, 2017, in New York. (AP/Julie Jacobson)
May 8, 2023, 1:12 am
Protests are altering Israel’s trajectory, says Handmaid’s writer Margaret Atwood
‘The king’ knows that ‘an awful lot of people think what he is doing is wrong’: At Jerusalem Writers Festival, Canadian author talks judicial reform, Handmaid’s Tale, Netanyahu
By Jessica Steinberg
American novelist Joshua Cohen speaks during a meeting with journalists as part of the International Writers Festival, in Jerusalem, May 16, 2022. (Courtesy Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)
May 18, 2022, 7:42 am
Ironies pile up as author of satirical ‘The Netanyahus’ talks Pulitzer win
Listen to newly minted award-winning author Joshua Cohen speak about using art to ‘obliterate political divides’ in a bonus Times Will Tell podcast
By Jessica Steinberg
Polish writer and Nobel Prize winner for literature Olga Tokarczuk poses for a photo after a press conference in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
May 16, 2022, 1:56 pm
In Israel, Nobel-winning author Olga Tokarczuk reflects on Poles, Jews and a messiah
Writer says she doesn’t like to get involved in politics, but notes that Poles share Ukraine’s ‘sense of danger that Russia presents to the free world’
By Jessica Steinberg
American novelist Joshua Cohen, who won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for fiction with his novel, 'The Netanyahus,' poses for a portrait in Jerusalem, May 10, 2022. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)
May 11, 2022, 6:56 am
In Jerusalem, author of prize-winning ‘Netanyahus’ says Trump real target of novel
Joshua Cohen wanted to illuminate life under rulers forged in ‘reality show’ families, using story about ex-PM’s father to ‘say certain things about liberalism’
By Joseph Krauss
Julia Fermentto Tzaisler, the new artistic director of the Jerusalem International Writers Festival (Courtesy Ziv Bercovich)
August 25, 2021, 3:13 pm
Jerusalem International Writers Festival gets new director
Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler says she plans to ‘shuffle the cards’ at next year’s event and acquaint guests ‘not only with the big stars, but also with lesser-known voices’
By Jessica Steinberg
Etgar Keret, right, and Shuli Rand, center, in their initial Writers Festival appearance in Jerusalem that was reprised June 14, 2021 (Courtesy Mishkenot Shaananim)
June 15, 2021, 10:35 am
Together again, Etgar Keret and Shuli Rand entertain onstage
Israeli writer, actor reprise their writers’ festival event for another Jerusalem audience
By Jessica Steinberg
An event at the 2019 Jerusalem Writers Festival at Mishkenot Sha'ananim, which was held in person, unlike the 2020 edition, which was online due to the coronavirus pandemic (Courtesy Writers Festival)
April 12, 2021, 9:18 pm
Jerusalem writers festival back to in-person, with online option
Annual author event scheduled for May 3-6, with Salman Rushdie and Harlan Coben participating, among others
By Jessica Steinberg
Israelis listen from their balconies as saxophonist Yarden Klayman performs a concert from a rooftop on Basel Square, in Tel Aviv, March 23, 2020. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
January 2, 2021, 3:47 pm
Far from being curtains, pandemic ushered in new audiences for artists
Going digital was the obvious pivot for most performing arts events, and despite the challenges of putting on a show for a virtual audience, producers say they’re not looking back
By Jessica Steinberg
An event at the 2019 Jerusalem Writers Festival at Mishkenot Sha'ananim, which was held in person, unlike the 2020 edition, which was online due to the coronavirus pandemic (Courtesy Writers Festival)
May 4, 2020, 1:32 pm
Jerusalem’s 8th Writers Fest goes digital during pandemic
The annual event featuring American, European and Israeli authors will be held online, May 10-13, with all events open to the public
By Jessica Steinberg
Ayobami Abedayo, the Nigerian writer of the award-winning 'Stay With Me,' was in Israel in May 2019 for the International Writers Festival (Courtesy Penguin RandomHouse)
May 25, 2019, 9:03 am
Ayobami Abedayo’s novel tackles couplehood, infertility and Nigeria
The author, visiting Jerusalem for the International Writers Festival, says she’s glad she spent her formative years in the West African country
By Jessica Steinberg
Acclaimed American author Joyce Carol Oates will be the recipient of the 2019 Jerusalem Prize, to be awarded at the May 2019 Jerusalem International Book Forum (Courtesy Dustin Cohen)
January 23, 2019, 1:11 am
Acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates to receive 2019 Jerusalem Prize
Award will be presented to the writer at May’s 2019 Jerusalem International Book Forum
By Jessica Steinberg
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