The shortlist for the 2018 Sapir Prize, often considered Israel’s top literary award, includes works by past winners Shimon Adaf and Noa Yedlin. Adaf’s novel “Mox Nox” won the award for works published in 2012, and Yedlin’s novel “House Arrest” won for those published the following year. Beyond Adaf, shortlisted for his book “Tolle Lege,”…
The judges for the Sapir Prize — widely considered to be Israel’s equivalent of the Man Booker prize — are not afraid of controversy. Last year, the award went to a Ruby Namdar’s “A Ruined House,” a novel written in Hebrew in New York, arousing such controversy that a rule was passed stating winners must…
The Sapir Prize for Hebrew Literature is one of Israel’s most important literary awards, and the most significant financially. Recently, the managing board of the prize decided to change its guidelines and enable only candidates who are residents of Israel to submit their work. This new rule caused an interesting and important debate, both in…
When I heard that an Israeli author living abroad — Ruby Namdar — had received the prestigious Sapir Prize for Hebrew literature this year, my first thought was “How dare we?” Of course, my gut reaction of including myself in this group was preposterous, because I write in English and cannot claim membership in this…
I met Reuven “Ruby” Namdar on November 11, 2014 in New York, because I was writing a long piece about writers who live outside Israel and write in Hebrew. It turned out, by coincidence, that a few hours before our meeting he had gotten the biggest news of his career. He had been informed that…
Reuven Namdar in New York. Photo by Beth Kissileff. In a time when the famed British Man Booker Prize has been opened to writers in English from all countries, Israel too has achieved a milestone. For the first time in its 14 years, the Sapir Prize, given by Mif’al Ha-Payis (Israel’s national lottery), has on…
The biggest point of contention with this year’s Sapir Prize, Israel’s equivalent to the Booker, was who the judges were and how they came to their shortlist of five nominees. But controversy should not take away from the achievement of winner Noa Yedlin for her “Ba’alat Bayit” or “House Arrest,” her second novel. Yedlin works…
At a gala ceremony in Tel Aviv January 16, author Haggai Linik joined a select group of literary luminaries when his third novel, “Darush Lahshan” (“Prompter Needed”) was awarded Israel’s Sapir Prize for Literature. Inaugurated in 2000, the Sapir Prize is Israel’s most prestigious literary prize. Awarded by Mifal HaPayis — the National Lottery —…
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