Abraham Yehoshua, an internationally acclaimed Israeli writer, died this morning. This was announced by the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv. The funeral will take place in the afternoon. He was 85 years old.
Born in Jerusalem in 1936 into a family of Sephardi origin, he lived in Haifa where he taught Comparative Literature and Hebrew Literature. He has held positions as an external professor at Harvard, Chicago and Princeton Universities. In 2003 he was awarded the Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa International Literary Prize for The liberated bride.
For decades, Yehoshua had been a fervent champion of a negotiated solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, along with two other famous Israeli writers: Amos Oz (deceased in December 2018) and David Grossman. Over time the three had become a constant point of reference for the Zionist left and their opinion was often asked – in Israel and abroad – on current events.
– This is his latest article written for LaStampa:
Israel, myths are no longer enough to shape future national identity
abraham B. Yehoshua
He lived in Paris for four years, from 1963 to 1967 and taught there. In Paris he also held the post of Secretary General of the World Union of Jewish Students. Initially the author of short stories and plays, he met success with his novels. His works have been translated into twenty-two languages. In Italy it was discovered by the Giuntina publishing house and then published by Einaudi. His novels are The lover, A late divorce, Five seasons, Mr. Mani, Return from India, Journey to the end of the millennium, The liberated bride, The human resources manager, Friendly fire, The lost scene, The appearance, The tunnel, The only daughter. His works have been translated into twenty-two languages.
After a marriage that lasted over 50 years in 2016 he was left a widower, which made him very prostrate. In the latest interviews, released while he knew he was seriously ill, he said he was waiting for death with serenity, even though he said he was very worried about Israel’s political and social future. The funeral will take place in the afternoon in a secular cemetery south of Haifa. Yehoshua leaves behind three children and seven grandchildren.