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Uri Orlev

אורי אורלב

Uri Orlev (1931-2022) was born in Warsaw, Poland, and spent the early years of World War II in the Warsaw Ghetto. His father was captured by the Russians and saw his sons again only in 1954 in Israel; his mother was killed by the Nazis. After being smuggled out of the ghetto and hidden by Polish families, Orlev and his younger brother were sent to Bergen-Belsen. They were freed two years later and immigrated to pre-state Israel.

Orlev has published over 30 books for children and youth, as well as fiction for adults. He also writes radio and TV scripts, and is a translator from Polish to Hebrew. His books have been translated into 38 languages. Orlev has won many literary awards both in Israel and abroad. Most recently: the Hans Christian Andersen Author Award (1996), the Yad Vashem Bruno Brandt Award (1997), the Ze’ev Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2002), the Andersen Award (Italy, 2003), the Premio Cento (Italy, 2003), the Best Audio Book for Youth (Germany, 2006) – the last three prizes for Run, Boy, Run, the Bialik Prize (2006), the Devorah Omer Prize for The Island of Bird Street (2014), the Devorah Omer Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2016) and the Book Publishers Association’s Gold and Platinum Prizes several times.

Orlev died in July 2022 at 93 years.

Photo by: Dan Porges

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