Nissim Aloni ( he, נסים אלוני, 24 August 1926 – 13 June 1998) was an Israeli playwright and translator.

Biography

Aloni was born Nissim Levi to poor Bulgarian Jewish immigrant parents in

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

. His family lived in Florentin, a low-income neighborhood in south

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, which later became an inspiration for his work. After graduating from high school, Aloni enlisted in the '' Notrut'', a Jewish militia operating as an auxiliary police force alongside the British. He wrote for the weekly ''

BaMahane ''Bamahane'' (also ''BaMahane'', he, במחנה, ''lit.'' in the base camp) was a Hebrew-language weekly magazine published by the Israel Defense Forces. It was first published in December 1934 by the Haganah and was published as a weekly until D ...

'', and fought in the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. Following his military service, he was appointed to the editorial board of the periodical ''B'Ayin'' and served as literary editor of ''Ashmoret''. He studied history and French at

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. In his later years, a stroke left him severely handicapped. He died on 13 June, 1998 at a hospital in Tel Aviv.

Literary career

In 1953, his first play, ''Most Cruel the King'', was produced at the national

Habima Theater The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the center of Tel Aviv. History ...

, creating a stir amongst theatre goers. The play focuses on the figure of

Jeroboam Jeroboam I (; Hebrew: ''Yārŏḇə‘ām''; el, Ἱεροβοάμ, Hieroboám) was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel. The Hebrew Bible describes the reign of Jeroboam to have commenced following a revolt of the ten northern ...

. In 1961, Habima produced his play "The King's Clothes", which established him as one of the country's leading playwrights. In 1963, Aloni teamed up with

Yossi Banai Yosef "Yossi" Banai ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" בַנָאי; April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist. Biography Banai was born in Jerusalem during the Mandate era, and grew up in the neighb ...

and Avner Hezkyahu to create the "Seasons Theater", for which Aloni wrote and produced the play ''The American Princess''. From that point onward, Aloni produced all his plays. He also began writing skits for the comedy troupe Hagashash Hachiver, and produced some of their programs, such as ''Cinema Gashash'' and ''Cantata for Shawarma''. Many of his plays involve royalty, such as ''The King's Clothes'', ''The American Princess'', ''The Bride and the Hunter of Butterflies'' (adapted for television by Ram Loevy), ''Edi King''. His other plays include ''The Gypsies of Jaffa'', ''The Revolution and the Chicken'', ''Lukas the Coward'', ''The Raucous Dying'', ''Napoleon Dead or Alive''. Aloni highly esteemed the actress

Hanna Rovina Hanna Rovina ( he, חנה רובינא‎; 15 September 1888 – 3 February 1980), also Robina, was an Israeli actress. She is often referred to as the "First Lady of Hebrew Theatre". Biography Hana Rovina was born in Byerazino, in the Igu ...

, and wrote a play, ''Aunt Liza'', specifically for her to act the lead part. He has also published a collection of prose, ''Notes of a Stray Cat''.

Awards and critical acclaim

* In 1983, Aloni was a co-recipient (jointly with Ozer Rabin) of the

Bialik Prize The Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel, for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Israel's national poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Biali ...

for

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. * In 1992, he became honorary fellow of

The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School is a film and television school in Israel that was founded in 1989. It was renamed in honor of Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate. The school has been the subject of some 19 ...

. * In 1996, he was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

for stage arts – dramatics.

Works outside of Israel

"The American Princess" was translated from Hebrew to Swedish by Viveka Heiman and then from Swedish to Norwegian by Jens Bjorneboe. It was produced by Oslo city theater Den Nye Theater, directed by Izzy Abrahami. Abrahami convinced the Israeli consul in Oslo to invite Aloni to the premier. Aloni, who reportedly sat next to the Norwegian king, brought Abrahami an original painting by

Yosl Bergner Yosl Bergner ( he, יוסל ברגנר‎; 13 October 1920 – 18 January 2017), also known as Josl, was an Israeli painter. He was born in Vienna, Austria, grew up in Warsaw, Poland, lived in Melbourne, Australia from 1937 until 1948, whe ...

as thanks.

Commemoration

In November 2009, a street was named for him in Tel Aviv.Tel Aviv to name street after playwright Aloni
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Published works

Plays

*' (Tel Aviv, 1963) translated as "The American princess" by Richard Flantz () *' (Cruel from all King) (Tel Aviv, 1968) *', a play in two acts (Tel Aviv, 1975) *' (The Bride and the Butterfly Hunter) (Tel Aviv, 1980) *' (Napoleon Alive or Dead) (Tel Aviv, 1993) *' (Aunt Liza) (Tel Aviv, 2000) *' (The Gypsies of Jaffa) (Tel Aviv, 2000) *' (The Emperor's Clothes) (Tel Aviv, 2004)

Literature

*' (Lists of Feral Cat) (Tel Aviv, 1996)

References

External links

Nissim Aloni
at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature {{DEFAULTSORT:Aloni, Nisim Israeli male dramatists and playwrights Israeli novelists Modern Hebrew writers Israel Prize in theatre recipients Jewish dramatists and playwrights 1926 births 1998 deaths 20th-century novelists 20th-century Israeli dramatists and playwrights People from Tel Aviv Israeli people of Bulgarian-Jewish descent Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni