Joshua Sobol

Joshua Sobol was born in Tel Mond, Israel, in 1939. He was active in the socialist Hashomer Hatzair youth movement and was member of a kibbutz from 1957 to 1965. Later, he went to Paris and studied philosophy at the Sorbonne. A leading Hebrew playwright, Sobol has been artistic director of the Haifa Theater; he has also taught esthetics and directed theater workshops at Tel Aviv University as well as at various colleges. Sobol has written 18 plays, many of which have been performed in Europe and the U.S.A. to great critical acclaim. Soul of a Jew was performed at the Edinburgh, Berlin and Chicago Festivals. Ghetto was nominated Britain`s Play of the Year in 1989, and has been staged in Vienna, Cologne, Toronto, Oslo, Paris, Los Angeles, Berlin and Washington. Most recently, his play Witness was performed at the Heidelberg Theater Festival, 2005. Sobol has also published two novels and a book of non-fiction. His work has been published abroad in many languages.

Books Published in Hebrew

Plays

The Night of the Twentieth, Proza, 1977; Or Am, 1990 [Leil Ha-Esrim]

Soul of a Jew, Or Am, 1982 [Nefesh Yehudi - Ha Laila Ha-Aharon Shel Otto Weininger]

Ghetto, Or Am, 1984 [Ghetto]

The Palestinian, Or Am, 1985 [Ha-Palestinait]

Jerusalem Syndrome, Or Am, 1987 [Syndrom Yerushalayim]

Man, Or Am, 1989 [Adam]

In the Basement, Or Am, 1990 [Ba-Martef]

Solo, Or Am, 1991 [Solo]

You Have to Ring Twice, Sobol, 1992 [Tzarich Letzaltzel Pa`amayim]

An Eye for an Eye, Sobol, 1994 [Ayin Be-Ayin]

Village, Or Am, 1996 [Kefar]

Alma, Or Am, 1999 [Alma]

The Masked Ball, Or Am, 2001 [Neshef Masechot]

Strangers, Or Am, 2004 [Zarim]

Witness, Or Am, 2004 [Ed Reiya]

Kol Nidrei, Or Am, 2004 [Kol Nidrei]

Real Time, Or Am, 2005 [Zman Emet]

A Working-Class Hero, Or Am, 2006 [Gibor Ma`amad Ha-Poalim]

Fiction & Essays

Silence (novel), Tel-Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuchad/Siman Kriah, 2000 [Shtika]

Whiskey`s Fine (novel), Tel-Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuchad/Siman Kriah, 2004 [Whiskey Ze Be-Seder]

Here and Now: Amir Peretz and the Israeli Situation (non-fiction), Yedioth Ahronoth/Sifrey Hemed, 2006

Performed Plays

The Coming Days [Haifa, 1971]

Status Quo Vadis [Haifa, 1973]

Sylvester 1972 [Haifa, 1974]

Joker [Haifa, 1975]

The Night of the Twentieth [Haifa, 1976]

The Gog and Magog Show [Haifa 1977]

Tenants [Haifa, 1978]

Homewards, Homewards [Habimah, 1978]

The Wedding Eve [Habimah, 1978]

The Wars of the Jews [Khan, 1981]

Soul of a Jew [Haifa, 1982]

Ghetto [Haifa, 1984]

The Palestinian [Haifa, 1985]

King of Israel [Haifa, 1986]

Jerusalem Syndrom [Haifa, 1988]

Adam [Habimah, 1989]

Solo [Habimah, 1991]

Handsome Tonny [Khan, 1994]

Honey [Haifa, 1997]

Books in Translation

Fiction
Silence
Dutch: Amsterdam, Byblos, 2001
German: Munich, Luchterland, 2001; in paperback: 2003

Whiskey`s Fine
German: Munich, Luchterhand, 2005; in paperback: Munich, btb, 2008
English: New York, Melville, fortcoming

Plays
Soul of a Jew
English: Tel Aviv, International Theatre Institute, 1983
Spanish: Barcelona, Rio Piedras, 1984
French: Paris, Cahiers Bernard Lazare, 1991
Hungarian: Budapest, Nagyvilag, 1988
German: Bremen, Litag Teater, 1986
Vienna, Europa, 1989

Ghetto
English: Tel Aviv, The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature, 1986
London, Nick Hern Books, 1989
German: Berlin, Quadriga, 1984
French: Lyons, La Manufacture, 1986
Italian: Naples, Plural, 1988; Catanzaro, Abramo, 2004
Norwegian: Oslo, Det Norske Teatret, 1985
Turkish: Istanbul, Can Yayinlari, 1994

The Palestinian
German: Bremen, Litag Teater, 1988

The Night of the Twentieth
English and French: Tel Aviv, The Institute for theTranslation of Hebrew Literature, 1978
Spanish: Jerusalem, Dept. de Educacion - Organizacion Sionista Mundial, 1977

Solo
English/French: St.Etienne, University of St-Etienne-CIEREC, 1994

Manuscripts available (for publishers only) in English translation
Silence

Last updated: 4.1.2010