Meir Shalev ( he, מאיר שלו; born 29 July 1948) is an Israeli writer and newspaper columnist for the daily
Yedioth Ahronoth
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
. Shalev's books have been translated into 26 languages.
Biography
Shalev was born in
Nahalal
Nahalal ( he, נַהֲלָל) is a moshav in northern Israel. Covering 8.5 square kilometers, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of .
Nahalal is best known for its general layout, as ...
, Israel. Later he lived in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and at
Ginosar
Ginosar ( he, גִּנּוֹסַר) is a kibbutz in the Plain of Ginosar on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Located north of Tiberias on Highway 90, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In it ha ...
with his family. He is the son of the
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
poet Yitzhak Shalev.
His cousin Zeruya Shalev is also a writer.
Shalev was drafted into the IDF in 1966, and did his military service in the Golani Brigade. He served as a soldier, a
squad leader
''Squad Leader'' is a tactical wargames, tactical level board war game originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by John Hill (game designer), John Hill and simulates on infantry combat in Europe during World War II. One of th ...
in the brigade's
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
company. Shalev fought in
The Six Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...
, and a few months after the war was injured in a friendly fire incident.
He began his career by presenting ironic features on television and radio. He also moderated the program ''Erev Shabbat'' ("Friday night") on Israel channel one. His first novel, ''The Blue Mountain'', was published in 1988.
Shalev also writes non-fiction, children's books and a weekly column in the weekend edition of ''
Yediot Ahronot
''Yedioth Ahronoth'' ( he, יְדִיעוֹת אַחֲרוֹנוֹת, ; lit. ''Latest News'') is a national daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Founded in 1939 in British Mandatory Palestine, ''Yedioth Ahronoth'' is the largest paid n ...
''.
He currently lives in the
Jezreel Valley
The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...
.
Views and opinions
According to a January 2009 interview, Shalev identifies with the Israeli left and believes that the conflict with the Palestinians can be resolved by establishing two states for two peoples. However, he is disappointed with the extremism in the Palestinian camp, saying, "Radical Palestinians still say that the only solution would be for all Jews to pack their bags and return to where their grandparents came from. When there are no more Jews left in the Middle East, then the problem is solved, according to their logic. As long as they continue to think that way, there will be no peace. We are here and we are going to stay. Only after that fact is generally accepted can progress be made."
Awards and recognition
* Bernstein Prize (original Hebrew novel category) (1989)Meir Shalev Tel Aviv University accessed 14 July 2011
*
Brenner Prize
The Brenner Prize is an Israeli literary prize awarded annually by the Hebrew Writers Association in Israel and the Haft Family Foundation.
It was founded in the name of the author Yosef Haim Brenner
Yosef Haim Brenner ( he, יוֹסֵף חַ ...
* 1988 ''The Blue Mountain'' (1988, originally published in Hebrew as ''Roman Rusi'') English translation in 1991 by
Hillel Halkin
Hillel Halkin ( he, הלל הלקין; born 1939) is an American-born Israeli translator, biographer, literary critic, and novelist, who has lived in Israel since 1970.
Biography
Hillel Halkin was born in New York City two months before the outbr ...
. Reprinted, 2010
* 1991 ''Esau''
* 1994 ''As a Few Days'', also called ''The Four Meals'' or ''The Loves of Judith''
* 1998 ''His House in the Desert'' (or "Alone in the Desert")
* 2002 ''Fontanelle''
* 2006 ''A Pigeon and A Boy'' (originally published in Hebrew as ''Yona v'naar'' by Am Oved Publishers, Tel Aviv), translated by Evan Fallenberg, Random House, New York,
* 2013 ''Two She-Bears''
Non-fiction
* 1985 ''Bible Now'', a book containing interpretations of
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" '' Haaretz.
* ''Elements of Conjuration''
* 1995 ''Mainly About Love''
* 1998 ''My Jerusalem''
* 2008 ''In the Beginning: Firsts in the Bible''
* 2011 ''Beginnings: Reflections on the Bible's Intriguing Firsts'' (Nonfiction)
* 2011 ''My Russian Grandmother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner''
* 2017 ''My Wild Garden''
Children's books
* 1982 ''Michael and the Monster of Jerusalem''
* 1987 ''Zohar's Dimples''
* 1988 ''My Father Always Embarrasses Me''
* 1990 ''Nehama the Louse''
* 1993 ''How the Neanderthal Inadvertently Invented Kebab''
* 1994 ''A flood, a snake and two arks''
* 2021 “A Snake, a Flood, a Hidden Baby” (Eng, Kalaniot Books, USA)
* 1995 ''The Tractor in the Sandbox''
* 2000 ''Aunt Michal''
* 2004 ''A lion at night''
* 2004 ''Roni and Nomi and the Bear Yaacov''
* ''A Louise Named Thelma''
* ''A Lion in the Night''
* 2007 ''Uncle Aaron and his rain''