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Shmuel Yosef Agnon ( he, שמואל יוסף עגנון; July 17, 1888 – February 17, 1970) was one of the central figures of
modern Hebrew Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...
literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the
acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
Shai Agnon (). In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon. Agnon was born in Polish Galicia, then part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, and later immigrated to
Mandatory 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 ...
, and died in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. His works deal with the conflict between the traditional
Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish life and language and the
modern world The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
. They also attempt to recapture the fading traditions of the European ''
shtetl A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...
'' (village). In a wider context, he also contributed to broadening the characteristic conception of the
narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
's role in literature. Agnon had a distinctive linguistic style mixing modern and rabbinic Hebrew. In 1966, he shared the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
with the poet
Nelly Sachs Nelly Sachs (; 10 December 1891 – 12 May 1970) was a German-Swedish poet and playwright. Her experiences resulting from the rise of the Nazis in World War II Europe transformed her into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of he ...
.


Biography

Shmuel Yosef Halevi Czaczkes (later Agnon) was born in Buczacz (Polish spelling, pronounced ''Buchach'') or Butschatsch (German spelling), Polish Galicia (then within the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
), now
Buchach Buchach ( uk, Бучач; pl, Buczacz; yi, בעטשאָטש, Betshotsh or (Bitshotsh); he, בוצ'אץ' ''Buch'ach''; german: Butschatsch; tr, Bucaş) is a city located on the Strypa River (a tributary of the Dniester) in Chortkiv Raion of T ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Officially, his date of birth in the
Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. I ...
was 18 Av 5648 (July 26), but he always said his birthday was on the Jewish fast day of
Tisha B'Av Tisha B'Av ( he, תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב ''Tīšʿā Bəʾāv''; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian E ...
, the Ninth of Av. His father, Shalom Mordechai Halevy, was ordained as a
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
, but worked in the
fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
, and had many connections among the
Hasidim Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...
, His mother's side had ties to the
Mitnagdim ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...
. He did not attend school and was schooled by his parents. In addition to studying Jewish texts, Agnon studied writings of the
Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...
, and was also tutored in German. At the age of eight, he began to write in Hebrew and
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
, At the age of 15, he published his first poem – a Yiddish poem about the Kabbalist Joseph della Reina. He continued to write poems and stories in Hebrew and Yiddish, which were published in Galicia. In 1908, he moved to
Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
in
Ottoman Palestine Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south ...
. The first story he published there was "
Agunot An ''agunah'' ( he, עגונה, plural: agunot (); literally "anchored" or "chained") is a Jewish woman who is stuck in her religious marriage as determined by ''halakha'' (Jewish law). The classic case of this is a man who has left on a journey ...
" ("Forsaken Wives"), which appeared that same year in the journal ''Ha`omer.'' He used the
pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...
"Agnon," derived from the title of the story, which he adopted as his official
surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
in 1924. In 1910, "Forsaken Wives" was translated into German. In 1912, at the urging of
Yosef Haim Brenner Yosef Haim Brenner ( he, יוֹסֵף חַיִּים בְּרֶנֶר, translit=Yosef Ḥayyim Brener; 11 September 1881 – 2 May 1921) was a Hebrew-language author from the Russian Empire, and one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature. Bi ...
, he published a novella, "Vehaya Ha'akov Lemishor" ("The Crooked Shall Be Made Straight"). In 1913, Agnon moved to Germany, where he met Esther Marx (1889-1973), the daughter of
Alexander Marx Alexander Marx (1878–1953) was an American historian, bibliographer and librarian. Biography Born in Elberfeld, Germany, son of George Marx, a banker, and Gertrud Marx-Simon, a published poet. Alexander Marx grew up in Königsberg ( East Pruss ...
. They married in 1920 and had two children. In Germany he lived in Berlin and
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe Bad Homburg vor der Höhe () is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains. Bad Homburg is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. The town's official name is ''Bad Homburg v.d.Höhe'', w ...
(1921–24).
Salman Schocken Salman Schocken or Shlomo Zalman Schocken ( he, שלמה זלמן שוקן) (October 30, 1877 August 6, 1959) was a German Jewish publisher, and co-founder of the large Kaufhaus Schocken chain of department stores in Germany. Stripped of his citi ...
, a businessman and later also publisher, became his literary
patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
and freed him from financial worries. From 1931 on, his work was published by
Schocken Books Schocken Books is a book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House that specializes in Jewish literary works. Originally established in 1931 by Salman Schocken as Schocken Verlag in Berlin, the company later moved to Palestine and then the Uni ...
, and his short stories appeared regularly in the newspaper ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'', also owned by the Schocken family. In Germany, he continued to write short stories and collaborated with
Martin Buber Martin Buber ( he, מרטין בובר; german: Martin Buber; yi, מארטין בובער; February 8, 1878 – June 13, 1965) was an Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism c ...
on an anthology of Hasidic stories. Many of his early books appeared in Buber's ''Jüdischer Verlag'' (Berlin). The mostly assimilated, secular German Jews, Buber and Franz Rosenzweig among them, considered Agnon to be a legitimate relic, being a religious man, familiar with Jewish scripture.
Gershom Scholem Gershom Scholem () (5 December 1897 – 21 February 1982), was a German-born Israeli philosopher and historian. Widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kaballah, Scholem was appointed the first professor of Jewish Myst ...
called him "the Jews' Jew". In 1924, a fire broke out in his home, destroying his manuscripts and rare book collection. This traumatic event crops up occasionally in his stories. Later that year, Agnon returned to Palestine and settled with his family in the
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
neighborhood of
Talpiot Talpiot ( he, תלפיות, literally 'turrets' or 'magnificently built') is an Israeli neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, established in 1922 by Zionist pioneers. It was built as a garden suburb on land purchased by the Tel Aviv-based P ...
. In 1929, his library was destroyed again during anti-Jewish riots. When his novel ''Hachnasat Kalla'' ("The Bridal Canopy") appeared in 1931 to great critical acclaim, Agnon's place in Hebrew literature was assured. In 1935, he published ''Sippur Pashut'' ("A Simple Story"), a
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
set in Buchach at the end of the 19th century. Another novel, ''Tmol Shilshom'' ("Only Yesterday"), set in
Eretz Yisrael The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Israe ...
(Israel) of the early 20th century, appeared in 1945. Agnon was a strict
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
in his personal life.


Literary themes and influences

Agnon's writing has been the subject of extensive
academic research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
. Many leading scholars of Hebrew literature have published books and papers on his work, among them
Baruch Kurzweil Baruch Kurzweil (1907–1972) (Hebrew: ברוך קורצווייל) was a pioneer of Israeli literary criticism. Biography Kurzweil was born in Brtnice, Moravia (now Czechoslovakia) in 1907, to an Orthodox Jewish family. He studied at Solomon ...
,
Dov Sadan Dov Sadan ( he, דב סדן, 21 February 1902 – 14 October 1989) was an Israeli literary critic and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1965 and 1968. Biography Born Dov Berl Stock in Brody in the Galicia ...
,
Nitza Ben-Dov Nitza Ben-Dov ( he, ניצה בן-דב, née Fruchtman, born 10 March 1950) is Professor of Hebrew and Comparative literature, Comparative Literature at the University of Haifa. Winner of the 2021 Israel Prize Biography Nitza Ben-Dov was ...
,
Dan Miron Dan Miron ( he, דן מירון, born 1934) is an Israeli-born American literary critic and author. An expert on modern Hebrew and Yiddish literature, Miron is a Professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is currently the Leonar ...
, Dan Laor and Alan Mintz. Agnon writes about Jewish life, but with his own unique perspective and special touch. In his Nobel acceptance speech, Agnon claimed "Some see in my books the influences of authors whose names, in my ignorance, I have not even heard, while others see the influences of poets whose names I have heard but whose writings I have not read." He went on to detail that his primary influences were the stories of the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. Agnon acknowledged that he was also influenced by German literature and culture, and European literature in general, which he read in German translation. A collection of essays on this subject, edited in part by
Hillel Weiss Hillel Weiss ( he, הלל ויס; born 1945) is a professor emeritus of literature at Bar Ilan University in Israel. Academic career Hillel Weiss is a tenured professor at the Joseph & Norman Berman Department of Literature of the Jewish People, ...
, with contributions from Israeli and German scholars, was published in 2010
''Agnon and Germany: The Presence of the German World in the Writings of S.Y. Agnon''.
The budding
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
literature also influenced his works, notably that of his friend,
Yosef Haim Brenner Yosef Haim Brenner ( he, יוֹסֵף חַיִּים בְּרֶנֶר, translit=Yosef Ḥayyim Brener; 11 September 1881 – 2 May 1921) was a Hebrew-language author from the Russian Empire, and one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature. Bi ...
. In Germany, Agnon also spent time with the Hebraists
Hayim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Bialik ( he, חיים נחמן ביאַליק; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934), was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. He was part of the vangu ...
and Ahad Ha'am. The communities he passed through in his life are reflected in his works: * Galicia: in the books ''
The Bridal Canopy ''The Bridal Canopy'' ( he, הכנסת כלה, ''Hakhnasat Kallah''), a novel by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, is considered to be one of the first classics of modern Hebrew literature. In 1966, Agnon shared the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first author ...
'', ''A City and the Fullness Thereof'', ''A Simple Story'' and ''A Guest for the Night''. * Germany: in the stories "Fernheim", "Thus Far" and "Between Two Cities". * Jaffa: in the stories "Oath of Allegiance", "Tmol Shilshom" and "The Dune". * Jerusalem: "Tehilla", "Tmol Shilshom", "Ido ve-Inam" and "Shira". Nitza Ben-Dov writes about Agnon's use of allusiveness, free-association and imaginative dream-sequences, and discusses how seemingly inconsequential events and thoughts determine the lives of his characters. Some of Agnon's works, such as ''The Bridal Canopy'', ''And the Crooked Shall Be Made Straight'', and ''The Doctor's Divorce'', have been adapted for
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
. A play based on Agnon's letters to his wife, "Esterlein Yakirati", was performed at the Khan Theater in Jerusalem.


Language

Agnon's writing often used words and phrases that differed from what would become established modern Hebrew. His distinct language is based on traditional Jewish sources, such as the
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
and the
Prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
,
Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
ic literature, the
Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
, and other
Rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writ ...
. Some examples include: * ''batei yadayim'' (lit. "hand-houses") for modern ''kfafot'' (gloves). * ''yatzta'' () rather than the modern conjugation ''yatz'a'' () ("she went out"). * ''rotev'' () meaning soup in place of modern ''marak'' (). In Modern Hebrew the term 'rotev' means 'sauce'. * ''bet kahava'' for modern ''bet kafe'' (coffee house / café), based on transliteration of the word 'coffee' from Arabic, rather than the contemporary term common in Hebrew, which comes from European languages.
Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
has made a computerized
concordance Concordance may refer to: * Agreement (linguistics), a form of cross-reference between different parts of a sentence or phrase * Bible concordance, an alphabetical listing of terms in the Bible * Concordant coastline, in geology, where beds, or la ...
of his works in order to study his language.


Awards and critical acclaim

Agnon was twice awarded 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 Bialik ...
for literature (1934 and 1950 – which omits the award in 1934). He was also twice 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 literature (1954 and 1958). In 1966, he was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
"for his profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from the life of the Jewish people". The prize was shared with German Jewish author
Nelly Sachs Nelly Sachs (; 10 December 1891 – 12 May 1970) was a German-Swedish poet and playwright. Her experiences resulting from the rise of the Nazis in World War II Europe transformed her into a poignant spokesperson for the grief and yearnings of he ...
. In his speech at the
award ceremony An awards ceremony is a type of ceremony where awards are given out. The ceremony may be arranged by a government organization, a society, a school, a trade association or even a company that specializes in running awards ceremonies. Typically a ma ...
, Agnon introduced himself in Hebrew: "As a result of the historic catastrophe in which
Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...
of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and Israel was exiled from its land, I was born in one of the cities of the Exile. But always I regarded myself as one who was born in Jerusalem". The award ceremony took place on a Saturday during the Jewish festival of
Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
. Agnon, who was religiously observant, postponed attendance at the awards ceremony until he had performed two Jewish ceremonies of his own on Saturday night, to end the Sabbath and to light the menorah. In later years, Agnon's fame was such that when he complained to the municipality that traffic noise near his home was disturbing his work, the city closed the street to cars and posted a sign that read: "No entry to all vehicles, writer at work!"


Death and legacy

Agnon died in Jerusalem on February 17, 1970. His daughter, Emuna Yaron, has continued to publish his work
posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...
. Agnon's archive was transferred by the family to the National Library in Jerusalem. His home in
Talpiot Talpiot ( he, תלפיות, literally 'turrets' or 'magnificently built') is an Israeli neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, established in 1922 by Zionist pioneers. It was built as a garden suburb on land purchased by the Tel Aviv-based P ...
, built in 1931 in the
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
style, was turned into a museum, ''Beit Agnon.'' The study where he wrote many of his works was preserved intact. Agnon's image, with a list of his works and his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, appeared on the fifty-shekel bill, second series, in circulation from 1985 to 2014. The main street in Jerusalem's
Givat Oranim Givat Oranim ( he, גבעת אורנים) is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem, bordered by Katamon, Rassco (neighborhood), Rassco, San Simon, Jerusalem, San Simon and Kiryat Shmuel, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmuel. Givat Oranim was established a ...
neighborhood is called Sderot Shai Agnon, and a synagogue in Talpiot, a few blocks from his home, is named after him. Agnon is also memorialized in Buchach, now in Ukraine, where he was born. There is an extensive (relative to the size of the museum) exhibition in the Historical Museum in Buchach and, just a few yards away, a bust of Agnon is mounted on a pedestal in a plaza across the street from the house where he lived. The house itself is preserved and marked as the home where Agnon lived from birth till the age of (approximately) 19; the street that runs in front of the house is named "Agnon Street" (in Ukrainian). Agnotherapy is a method developed in Israel to help elderly people express their feelings.


Beit Agnon

After Agnon's death, the former mayor of Jerusalem Mordechai Ish-Shalom initiated the opening of his home to the public. In the early 1980s, the kitchen and family dining room were turned into a lecture and conference hall, and literary and cultural evenings were held there. In 2005, the Agnon House Association in Jerusalem renovated the building, which reopened in January 2009. The house was designed by the German-Jewish architect Fritz Korenberg, who was also his neighbor.


Published works


Novels and novellas

* ''
The Bridal Canopy ''The Bridal Canopy'' ( he, הכנסת כלה, ''Hakhnasat Kallah''), a novel by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, is considered to be one of the first classics of modern Hebrew literature. In 1966, Agnon shared the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first author ...
'' (1931), translated from ''Hakhnāsat kallāh''. An epic describing Galician Judaism at the start of the 19th century. The story of a poor but devout Galician Jew, Reb Yudel, who wanders the countryside with his companion, Nuta, during the early 19th century, in search of bridegrooms for his three daughters. * '' In the Heart of the Seas, a story of a journey to the land of Israel'' (1933), translated from ''Bi-levav yamim''. A short novel about a group of ten men who travel from Eastern Europe to Jerusalem. * '' A Simple Story'' (1935), translated from ''Sipur pashut''. A short novel about a young man, his search for a bride, and the lessons of marriage. * '' A Guest for the Night'' (1938), translated from ''Ore'ah Noteh Lalun''. A novel about the decline of eastern European Jewry. The narrator visits his old hometown and discovers that great changes have occurred since World War I. * ''Betrothed'' (1943), translated from ''Shevuat Emunim''. A short novel. * '' Only Yesterday'' (1945), translated from '' Temol shilshom''. An epic novel set in the
Second Aliyah The Second Aliyah ( he, העלייה השנייה, ''HaAliyah HaShniya'') was an aliyah (Jewish emigration to Palestine) that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 35,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman-ruled Palestine, mos ...
period. It follows the story of the narrator from Galicia to Jaffa to Jerusalem. Sometimes translated as ''Those Were The Days''. * ''Edo and Enam'' (1950). A short novel. * ''To This Day'' (1952), translated from ''ʿAd henah''. A tale of a young writer stranded in Berlin during World War I. * '' Shira'' (1971). A novel set in Jerusalem in the 1930s and 1940s. Manfred Herbst, a middle-aged professor suffering from boredom, spends his days prowling the streets searching for Shira, the beguiling nurse he met when his wife was giving birth to their third child. Against the background of 1930s Jerusalem, Herbst wages war against the encroachment of age.


Short stories

* ''Of Such and Of Such'', a collection of stories, including "And the Crooked Shall Be Made Straight", "Forsaken Wives", and "Belevav Yamim" ("In the Heart of the Seas") from 1933. * ''At the Handles of the Lock'' (1923), a collection of love stories, including "Bidmay Yameha" ("In the Prime of Her Life"), "A Simple Story", and "The Dune". * ''Near and Apparent'', a collection of stories, including "The Two Sages Who Were In Our City", "Between Two Cities", "The Lady and the Peddler", the collection "The Book of Deeds", the satire "Chapters of the National Manual", and "Introduction to the Kaddish: After the Funerals of Those Murdered in the Land of Israel". * ''Thus Far'', a collection of stories, including "Thus Far", "Prayer", "Oath of Allegiance", "The Garment", "Fernheim", and "Ido ve-Inam" (Edo and Enam). * ''The Fire and the Wood'', a collection of stories including Hasidic tales, a semi-fictional account of Agnon's family history and other stories. * '' Tale of the Goat''


English translations

* " Forever (Ad Olam)", Translated and commentary by Yehuda Salu, CreateSpace, 2014. * ''A Simple Story,'' revised edition, translated by Hillel Halkin, The Toby Press, 2014. * ''Shira,'' revised edition of SY Agnon's final novel, The Toby Press, 2014 * ''Two Tales: Betrothed & Edo and Enam'', contains two short novellas. * ''Twenty-One Stories'', a collection of translated stories from "The Book of Deeds" and elsewhere. * ''Israeli Stories'', ed. Joel Blocker. Contains the stories "Tehilah" (1950) and "Forevermore" (1954). * ''New Writing in Israel'', ed. Ezra Spicehandler and Curtis Arnson. Contains the story "Wartime in Leipzig", an excerpt from "In Mr. Lublin's Store". * ''A Dwelling Place of My People'', contains 16 short stories about the Hassidim of Poland, from the Hebrew Volume "These and Those" (1932). * ''Jaffa, belle of the seas: Selections from the works of S.Y. Agnon'' *''Tehilah'', Israel Argosy, trans. by Walter Lever, Jerusalem Post Press, Jerusalem, 1956


Anthologies

* ''Days of Awe'' (1938), a book of customs, interpretations, and legends for the Jewish days of mercy and forgiveness:
Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...
,
Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...
, and the days between. * ''Present at Sinai: The Giving of the Law'' (1959), an anthology for the festival of
Shavuot (''Ḥag HaShavuot'' or ''Shavuos'') , nickname = English: "Feast of Weeks" , observedby = Jews and Samaritans , type = Jewish and Samaritan , begins = 6th day of Sivan (or the Sunday following the 6th day of Sivan i ...
.


Posthumous publications

* ''Ir Umeloah'' ("A City and the Fullness Thereof") (1973), a collection of stories and legends about Buczacz, Agnon's hometown. * '' In Mr. Lublin's Store'' (1974), set in Germany of the First World War. * ''Within the Wall'' (1975), a collection of four stories. * ''From Myself to Myself'' (1976), a collection of essays and speeches. * ''Introductions'' (1977), stories. * ''Book, Writer and Story'' (1978), stories about writers and books from the Jewish sources. * ''The Beams of Our House'' (1979), two stories, the first about a Jewish family in Galicia, the second about the history of Agnon's family. * ''Esterlein Yakirati'' ("Dear Esther: Letters 1924–1931" (1983), letters from Agnon to his wife. * ''A Shroud of Stories'' (1985). * ''The Correspondence between S.Y. Agnon and S. Schocken'' (1991), letters between Agnon and his publisher. * ''Agnon's Alef Bet Poems'' (1998), a children's guide to the Hebrew Alphabet. * ''A Book That Was Lost: Thirty Five Stories'' (2008) In 1977 the
Hebrew University 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 ...
published ''Yiddish Works'', a collection of stories and poems that Agnon wrote in Yiddish during 1903–1906.


See also

*
List of Israel Prize recipients This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022. List For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
*
List of Bialik Prize recipients 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 ...
* List of Israeli Nobel laureates *
List of Jewish Nobel laureates Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 900 individuals, of whom at least 20% were Jews. * * * * * * * * The number of Jews receiving Nobel prizes has been the subject of some attention.* * *"Jews rank high among winners of Nobel, but why ...
*
List of Polish Jews From the Middle Ages until the Holocaust, Polish Jews comprised an appreciable part of Poland's population. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, known for its religious toleranceHugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, ''From Counter-Reformation to Gloriou ...
*
List of Galician Jews List of Galicia (Eastern Europe) Jews – Jews born in Galicia (Eastern Europe) or identifying themselves as '' Galitzianer''. Those born after the Congress of Vienna would be considered subjects of the Austrian empire and those after the foundati ...


References


Bibliography

* Arnold J. Band, ''Nostalgia and nightmare : a study in the fiction of S.Y. Agnon'', Berkeley and Los Angeles : University of California Press, 1968. *
Nitza Ben-Dov Nitza Ben-Dov ( he, ניצה בן-דב, née Fruchtman, born 10 March 1950) is Professor of Hebrew and Comparative literature, Comparative Literature at the University of Haifa. Winner of the 2021 Israel Prize Biography Nitza Ben-Dov was ...
,
Agnon's art of indirection: Uncovering latent content in the fiction of S.Y Agnon
', Brill, (Leiden). 1993. . *
Gershon Shaked Gershon Shaked ( he, גרשון שקד) (1929–2006) was an Israeli scholar and critic of Hebrew literature. Biography Gerhard Mandel (later Gershon Shaked) was born in Vienna, Austria. He immigrated to Mandate Palestine alone in 1939, and was l ...
, ''Shmuel Yosef Agnon: A Revolutionary Traditionalist''. New York University Press, 1989. * Anne Golomb Hoffman, ''Between Exile and Return: S.Y. Agnon and the Drama of Writing'', New York: SUNY, 1991. . *
Amos Oz Amos Oz ( he, עמוס עוז; born Amos Klausner; 4 May 1939 – 28 December 2018) was an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. He was also a professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. From 1967 onw ...
,
The Silence of Heaven: Agnon's Fear of God
', Princeton University Press, 2000. * Roman Katsman, ''Literature, History, Choice: The Principle of
Alternative History Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alte ...
in Literature (S.Y. Agnon, The City with All That is Therein).'' Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013. * * Yaniv Hagbi, ''Language, Absence, Play: Judaism and Superstructuralism in the Poetics of S. Y. Agnon'', Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2009. *
Ilana Pardes Ilana Pardes (born 1966) is a biblical scholar. She is Katharine Cornell Professor of Comparative Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Pardes attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied under Robert Alter. She r ...
, ''Agnon's Moonstruck Lovers: The Song of Songs in Israeli Culture'', Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2013. * Ahuva Feldman, "Consciousness of time and mission in S. Y. Agnon's ''Shira''. ''Hebrew Studies'' 50 (2009) 339-381. * Marc Bernstein, Midrash and marginality: The ''Agunot'' of S. Y. Agnon and Devorah Baron. ''Hebrew Studies'' 42:7-58.


External links


Biography of Shmuel Yosef Agnon
(Jewish Agency for Israel)
Archive of Midrash Agnon course on 5 short stories from Agnon House and WebYeshiva.org

Archive of course on Agnon's novella "Tehilla" broadcast from Agnon House and WebYeshiva.org
* Shiri Lev Ari

(Ha'aretz, July 10, 2006) * Dan Laor
Agnon's biographer describes his long journey home
*

* Jewish Renaissance Pioneers
Shmuel Yosef Agnon


*
Ziva ShamirThe portrait of Agnon's stage adapter as a literary interpreter (Lecture)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnon, Shmuel Yosef 1888 births 1970 deaths Nobel laureates in Literature Israeli Nobel laureates Austro-Hungarian Nobel laureates People from Buchach People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Austro-Hungarian Jews Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Israeli Orthodox Jews Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Israel Prize in literature recipients Jewish Israeli writers Hebrew-language poets Israeli novelists Israeli male short story writers Israeli short story writers Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives 20th-century poets 20th-century novelists 20th-century short story writers Orthodox Jews in Mandatory Palestine