Launch of the German Translation of Shelter at the Swiss Ambassador’s Residence

Thank you to everyone who attended the book launch of Shelter in German, published by Hentrich & Hentrich and translated by Lucia Engelbrecht. The event took place at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador in Israel, Simon Geissbühler, to celebrate the German translation of the anthology.

Shelter was initially published by the Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature in December 2023, shortly after October 7. Initially released as a bilingual Hebrew and English edition, it was later translated into Spanish and now into German.

The anthology features stories by Elisa Albert, Aryeh Attias, Maxim Biller, Oded Carmeli, Joshua Cohen, Maayan Eitan, Tehila Hakimi, Dror Mishani, Asaf Schurr, and Yaara Shehori, with a foreword by Oded Wolkstein. The stories, written in the immediate aftermath of October 7, represent a first literary response to the events. While differing in tone and style, they share a common thread: rather than using literature to fill the gaps of reality, the authors highlight and linger on these gaps.

Held in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in Israel, the event welcomed members of the diplomatic community and a diverse audience. The evening included a reading from the book by actor and musician Meni Gross, followed by a panel discussion moderated by the ambassador with Oded Wolkstein and Maayan Eitan, the book’s co-editors.

We are grateful to everyone involved in the writing, translation, publishing, and collaborations that brought this work to German readers.