Shulamit Lapid ( he, שולמית לפיד, born 9 November 1934) is an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Biography

Shulamit Giladi (later Lapid) was born in

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 ...

. She majored in Oriental studies 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 ...

. Her father, David Giladi (born in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

), was a journalist, novelist, and translator, as well as one of the founders of the Israeli newspaper ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

''. In Lapid's book ''Veulai Lo Hayu'' she documents the story of her father's immigration to Israel, his integration into Israeli society, and her own childhood in Tel Aviv during the 1930s and 1940s. Lapid is the widow of

Yosef Lapid Yosef "Tommy" Lapid ( he, יוסף "טומי" לפיד, born as Tomislav Lampel, sr-cyr, Томислав Лампел; 27 December 1931 – 1 June 2008) was a Yugoslav-born Israeli radio and television presenter, playwright, journalist, politi ...

, a journalist,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and public figure. They had three children: Michal (who was killed in a car accident in 1984), Merav, and Yair – a well-known Israeli politician, novelist, journalist and television personality, formerly Prime Minister of Israel.

Literary career

Her first collection of stories, Dagim ("Fish"), was published in 1969. She writes historical novels, realistic prose addressing social issues and ethnic discrimination, and several detective novels.''Gai Oni'' (1982) is the story of the Galilean village that became

Rosh Pina Rosh Pina (ראש פינה) is a lay-led independent minyan in Washington, D.C. It meets for Shabbat morning services twice a month in the National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH). It also meets occasionally for Friday night a ...

. Lapid was one of the first Hebrew writers to address the role of women in the Zionist narrative. Lapid's second novel, Ka-Ḥeres ha-Nishbar ("As a Broken Vessel," 1984,) is the story of an antiquities dealer,

Moses Wilhelm Shapira Moses Wilhelm Shapira ( he, מוזס וילהלם שפירא; 1830 – March 9, 1884) was a Jerusalem antiquities dealer and purveyor of allegedly forged Semitic artifacts – the most high profile of which was the Shapira Scroll. The shame bro ...

. ''Havat Haalamot'' (The Maidens' Farm) follows the protagonists of Gai Oni during the second

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

, who were part of a project to train women in farming near the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

Farm. Lapid wrote several children's books, and also the words for the song "Rosa Marzipan", which was composed by

Shlomo Gronich Shlomo Gronich (born January 20, 1949; he, שלמה גרוניך) is an Israeli composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, and choir conductor. Biography Shlomo Gronich grew up in a musical family in Hadera. He holds a B.A. in Music Education fro ...

. Lapid's spy-themed literature is especially popular in Israel. She is the creator of the character Lizzy Badihi, who is featured in six of Lapid’s thriller novels. Badihi is a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

of a

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

local newspaper called "HaZman Darom" (literally "The Southern Times"), and in each book she stubbornly insists on dealing with a detective mystery no one asked her to solve. The first book in this series, "Mekomon" (published 1989), helped to popularize the genre in Israel. Badihi solves several cases while "tottering in her oversized shoes and wearing oversized earrings." Plays written by Lapid: ''HaYerusha'' (The Inheritance), ''Abandoned Property'', ''Mifal Hayav'' (His Life Work), and ''A Surrogate's Womb''. Lapid was chairperson of the Hebrew Writers' Association.

Awards and recognition

In 1987, Lapid won the Prime Minister's Prize for Literature. In 1996 she won the Newman Prize. In 2013 she won a

Steimatzky Steimatzky ( he, סטימצקי) is the oldest and largest bookstore chain in Israel. History Under Tzvi Steimatzky, 1920–25 The first store was opened by Tzvi Steimatzky in 1920 in Tel Aviv, 6 Herzl St. Under Yechezkel Steimatzky, 1925–63 ...

Prize for her book ''Abandoned Furniture''. She also won the Book Publishers Association’s Gold and Platinum Prizes for ''Nunia.''Jewish Women's Archives, Shulamit Lapid
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Books

Children's books

Novels

Stories

Lizzy Badihi series

Plays

*''Abandoned Property'' directed by Aharon Almog, costumes by Eli Sinai, music by Misha Balhrovic, staged at the

Cameri Theater The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was found ...

in March 1987, at

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

in 2006, directed by Itzik Weingarten, and conducted currently at Nozar Theater. *''A Surrogate's Womb'' directed by Ilan Ronen, scenery and costume work by Rut Dar, music by Dan Hendelsmann, staged at the Cameri Theater in April 1990. *''Mifal Hayav'' directed by Ori Pester, scenery and costume work by Dudu Mazah, music by Ori Vidislavsky, staged at the Cameri Theater in March 1992. *''Haflagot'' directed by Amit Gazit, scenery and costume work by Tal Yitzhaki, music by Eldad Lidor, staged at the Cameri Theater in January 1997.

References

External links

Shulamit Lapid
bio and works on the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature website
The Mean Streets of Beersheba: The Place of the City in Shulamit Lapid’s Lizzie Badiḥi Series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lapid, Shulamit 1934 births Living people Israeli children's writers Israeli novelists Israeli crime fiction writers Israeli female dramatists and playwrights Israeli women novelists Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Spouses of Israeli politicians Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent Writers from Tel Aviv