Yoram Kaniuk

Yoram Kaniuk (1930-2013), one of Israel’s leading writers, was born in Tel Aviv. After being wounded in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, he moved to New York for 10 years. A novelist, painter and journalist, Kaniuk published many novels, memoirs, short stories, non-fiction and books for children and youth. He was awarded many literary prizes, including the Ze’ev Prize for Children’s literature (1980), the Brenner Prize (1987), the Prix des Droits de l’Homme (France, 1997), the President’s Prize (1998), the Bialik Prize (1999), the Prix Mediterranée Etranger (2000), the Book Publishers Association’s Gold Book Prizes for five of his books (2005; 2010), the Neuman Prize (2006) the Kugel Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2008), the France-Israel Foundation Award (2010), the prestigious Sapir Prize (2011) and the Italian WIZO Prize (2013). In 2011, Kaniuk received an Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University, and, in 2012, the prestigious French decoration of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. A feature film based on Adam Resurrected, directed by Paul Shrader, was released to critical acclaim in 2008. Kaniuk’s books have been published abroad in 22 languages.

Kaniuk must be considered one of the great writers of our time.

Le Monde

Of the novelists I have discovered in translation… the three for whom I have the greatest admiration are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Peter Handke, and Yoram Kaniuk.

Susan Sontag

Clearly a writer of remarkable gifts.

New York Review of Book