Ilai Rowner was born at Kibbutz Yakum
in 1979 to parents of Argentinean origin. From 2001 to 2008 he lived in Paris
and studied French literature. In 2012, he received his PhD from University of
Paris VII-Diderot and Bar-Ilan University, Israel. He is currently a lecturer
in the department of French studies at Tel Aviv University and teaches at the
Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. A literary scholar and a writer, he also translates
French literature to Hebrew.
Rowner won the Haaretz Short
Story Competition in 2001. His first novel, Deserter, received wide
critical acclaim, and earned him both the Ministry of Culture Prize for Debut
Books and the Ministry of Culture Prize for Debut Authors (2015). Deserter
was also shortlisted for the Sapir Prize (2016).