Yehoshua Kenaz ( he, יהושע קנז) (2 March 1937 – 12 October 2020) was an Israeli novelist who studied at 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 ...
and at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
. Kenaz is best known for his novel ''Infiltration'', published in 1986.
Biography
Yehoshua Glass (later Kenaz) was born in
Petah Tikva, in the
British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to:
* Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan.
* Mandatory P ...
, in 1937. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, his father worked for the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, and for a while the family moved to
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
. He learned to play the violin. His brother Hilik was born when he was thirteen. He was drafted to the
Israel Defense Forces and was sent to a basic training camp for physically unfit soldiers. He then served in the
Israeli Intelligence Corps
The Israeli Intelligence Corps ( he, חיל המודיעין, ''Heil HaModi'in''), abbreviated to Haman ( he, חמ"ן) is an Israel Defense Forces corps which falls under the jurisdiction of IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence ( Aman) and i ...
. He changed his last name to Kenaz, after
Othniel Ben Kenaz
Othniel (; he, עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן קְנַז, ''ʿOṯnīʾēl ben Qenaz'') was the first of the biblical judges. The etymology of his name is uncertain, but may mean "God/He is my strength" or "God has helped me".
Family
The Hebre ...
, a Biblical name with a similar sound.
He studied
Philosophy and
Romance languages
The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language ...
at 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 ...
, and
French literature
French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than F ...
at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
.
[ He wrote his first story in ]Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
and sent it to Aharon Amir
Aharon Amir ( he, אהרן אמיר, January 5, 1923 – February 28, 2008) was an Israelis, Israeli Hebrew poet, a literary translator and a writer.
Biography
Aharon Amir was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. He moved to Palestine with his family in ...
's ''Keshet'' journal under the name of Avi Otniel (literally "father of Othniel"). He became famous in Israel in 1986 when his novel ''Infiltration'' became a best seller.
Kenaz died on 12 October 2020, in Petah Tikva after a COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
infection. He was 83.
Literary career
He translated many French classics into 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 ...
, and worked on the editorial staff of the Ha'aretz
''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 ...
newspaper. He was awarded the Alterman Prize in 1991, the Newman Prize in 1992, the Agnon Prize (1993), the ACUM Prize (1994) and 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 ...
(1995). In 2007, ''Infiltration'' was named one of the ten most important books in Israeli history. Four of his novels have been adapted to film: ''Ahare Hahagim'', directed by Amnon Rubinstein, in 1994; ''Alila'' (from the novel ''Returning Lost Lives''), directed by Amos Gitai
Amos Gitai ( he, עמוס גיתאי; born 11 October 1950) is an Israeli filmmaker, who was trained as an architect.
Gitai's work was presented in several major retrospectives in Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and ...
, in 2003; ''On the Way to the Cats'', directed by Jorge Gurvich in 2009; and, ''Infiltration'', directed by Dover Koshashvili, released to critical acclaim at the Jerusalem Film Festival 2010.
Kenaz said he was not a Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
because he did not believe a Jewish state
In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland of the Jewish people.
Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewish people. ...
would solve the problem of antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
. He supported a two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotia ...
to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict because he wanted the Hebrew language and culture to be hegemonic and more cultivated in Israel.
Published works
''After the Holidays'' (1964) is about the disintegration of a family in a small farming community in Palestine during the British Mandate. ''The Great Woman of the Dreams'' (1973) depicts the lives of the tenants of a rundown apartment house in Tel Aviv. ''Musical Moment'' (1980) is a collection of four stories dealing with themes of the rites of manhood and the disruption of innocence. ''Infiltration'' (1986) is the story of a platoon of young recruits with minor physical disabilities during their basic training at an Israeli army camp in the 1950s. ''The Way to the Cats'' (1991) tells the story of pensioners in an old-age home, who engage in a pathetic power struggle. ''Returning Lost Loves'' (1997) runs several plots in parallel form, sharing common characters. ''Landscape With Three Trees'' (2000) is two stories about the changes undergone by the Israeli society from the pre-state days to the present-day era.
The sociologist Dafna Hirsch uses Kenaz's 2008 short story, "The Black Briefcase", to illustrate the culture and performance of Zionist masculinity through the consumption of hummus.
In Hebrew
*''After the Holidays'' (novel), Am Oved, 1964; 1987 harei Ha-Hagim*''The Great Woman of the Dreams'' (novel), Dvir, 1973 a-Isha Ha-Gedolah Me-Ha-Halomot*''Musical Moment'' (stories), Hakibbutz Hameuchad/Siman Kriah, *1980;1995 oment Musicali*''Infiltration'' (novel), previously entitled Heart Murmur, Am Oved, 1986 itganvut Yehidim*''On the Way to the Cats'' (novel), Am Oved, 1991 a-Derech La-Hatulim*''Returning Lost Loves'' (novel), Am Oved, 1997 ahzir Ahavot Kodmot*''Landscape with Three Trees'' (2 novellas), Am Oved, 2000 (Nof Im Shlosha Etzim)
*''Between Night and Dawn'' (novella), Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2006 ein Laila ve-Bein Shashar
Translated into English
*
*
*
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenaz, Yehoshua
1937 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Israeli novelists
21st-century Israeli novelists
20th-century translators
French–Hebrew translators
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Israeli novelists
Israeli translators
University of Paris alumni
Recipients of Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works
People from Petah Tikva
People from Haifa
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel