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Israeli literature

Dory Manor, left, and Moshe Sakal of new Hebrew publishing house Altneuland. (Courtesy via JTA)
May 6, 2026, 8:14 am
New Hebrew press in Berlin seeks to build literary home outside of Israel
Founders of Altneuland, the first such publishing house since the Jewish state’s inception, embrace Israeli writers – and readers – while spurning government funding
By Shira Li Bartov
Avner Landes, author of 'The Delegation.' (Courtesy)
July 26, 2025, 7:40 am
The semi-true story of two Soviet Jews sent abroad by Stalin to fundraise during WWII
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
By Janice Weizman
This cover image released by Simon & Schuster shows "Queen Esther" by John Irving. (Simon & Schuster via AP)
February 6, 2025, 8:23 pm
John Irving’s new novel, ‘Queen Esther,’ touches decades of Israeli history
Book to be released in November tells story of Esther Nacht, Viennese Jew born in 1905 whose life ‘is fated to intersect with Israel’s history’; story closes in Jerusalem, 1981
By AP
Author Haim Be'er at his home in Ramat Gan, October 6, 2024. (Tamar Mor Sela)
October 20, 2024, 7:05 am
Haim Be’er believes, in perfect faith, that change is coming for Israel, but it may tarry
Despite eulogizing Zionism, the 79-year-old literary icon urges public to transcend social divides between right and left, religious and secular, and acknowledge limitations of power
By Tamar Mor Sela
Israeli author meir Shalev speaks at the 25th Jerusalem National Book Festival held at the International Conference Center in Jerusalem. February 22, 2011. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
October 14, 2024, 5:24 pm
National Library gets Meir Shalev archive, will restrict access per author’s wish
Institution set to comply with literary icon’s request to keep much of his archive out of public sight for up to 10 years, while making other items accessible in 2025
By ToI Staff
Lihi Lapid (Vardi Kahana)
April 7, 2024, 6:43 pm
Author Lihi Lapid asks what happens when a mourning mother can’t remember her son
Novel ‘On Her Own’ marks a major milestone in the writer’s career, and paints a poignant portrait of Israel that provides much-needed insight to international readers at this time
By Renee Ghert-Zand
Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua. (Courtesy/ Rafaela Fahn Schoffman)
June 14, 2022, 9:43 am
A.B. Yehoshua, Israeli literary giant and ardent humanist, dies aged 85
Influential author, recipient of the Israel Prize and dozens of other awards, was also known as a sharp-tongued polemicist and staunch Zionist
By Mitch Ginsburg
Illustrative: View on July 6, 2011 from inside the National Library of Israel that holds more than 5 million books, and is located on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. (Yaakov Naumi/Flash90)
June 7, 2022, 10:20 am
In first, Israeli female authors outnumber male
According to the National Library of Israel’s 2021 report, women wrote 52% of Israeli Hebrew literature, a rise of 10 percentage points compared to 2017
By Sara Serfaty
Author David Grossman speaks at the Meretz party's central committee meeting in Tel Aviv, on July 28, 2019. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)
March 10, 2022, 8:18 pm
Israeli novelist David Grossman in the running for International Booker Prize
Polish Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk and her novel ‘The Books of Jacob,’ which tells the story of 18th-century Jewish mystical cult leader Jacob Frank, also on prize longlist
By AP
Israeli poet Natan Zach (screen capture: YouTube)
November 6, 2020, 3:32 pm
Israel Prize-winning poet Natan Zach dies at 89
Berlin-born writer who helped shape Israeli poetry was a lightning rod for controversy in his later years over a number of political, racial statements
By ToI Staff and AP
Israeli writer A.B. Yehoshua's new book, 'The Tunnel,' talks about a one-state solution. (Courtesy/ Rafaela Fahn Schoffman)
May 3, 2020, 5:45 am
Peace activist author A.B. Yehoshua now pushes for a one-state solution
In conversation with ToI to mark release of new book, ‘The Tunnel,’ the writer says, ‘We have to integrate the Palestinians into Israel, by the right or the left’
By Anne Joseph
'Rock star' writer Meir Shalev at 2012 International Writer's Festival in Jerusalem (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash 90)
April 7, 2020, 1:37 pm
Locked down? Open up to… Meir Shalev
In the first in a series of articles aimed to widen cultural horizons within our virus-narrowed constraints, Mitch Ginsburg extols Meir Shalev’s new memoir as a breath of fresh air
By Mitch Ginsburg
Israeli author Ayelet Tsabari. (Collage by Alma; Tsabari photo: Jonathan Bloom)
February 24, 2019, 1:56 am
Israeli writer Ayelet Tsabari on being a literal, literary wandering Jew
The author’s upcoming memoir, which will be published in English, charts her own struggles and those of Mizrahi Jews in Israel
By Emily Burack
Israeli author David Grossman (Kobi Kalmanovitz)
February 12, 2018, 2:02 pm
David Grossman, critic of Israeli policies, awarded Israel Prize for literature
Announcing choice, Education Minister Naftali Bennett lauds left-leaning author’s ‘deep wisdom, sensitivity to fellow human beings and unique linguistic style’
By ToI Staff
Israeli novelist Aharon Appelfeld, who died at the age of 85 on January 4, 2018. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
January 4, 2018, 11:23 am
Aharon Appelfeld, literary giant who gave vivid voice to Holocaust, dies at 85
Winner of multiple literary awards, the prolific Appelfeld published his most recent book just three months ago
By Jessica Steinberg
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