Days of Ziklag
Encyclopedia
Days of Ziklag is a novel by S. Yizhar
, first published in 1958. It is widely considered to be one of the most prominent works in Israeli literature
.
The novel describes 7 days during the Israeli War of Independence in which it follows a squad of IDF
soldiers trying to hold a godforsaken post in the Negev
desert. The story's stream of consciousness focuses on the inner worlds of the Palmach
soldiers, both during and between battles. The story is based on the real-life battle for Horbat Ma'achaz fought by the Yiftach Brigade
in October 1948, although the battle is never mentioned by name.
Yizhar received the Israel Prize
in 1959 for his novel.
S. Yizhar
Yizhar Smilansky , better known by his pen name S. Yizhar , was an Israeli writer and a great innovator in modern Hebrew literature.His pen name was given to him by the poet and editor Yitzhak Lamdan, when in 1938 he published Yizhar's first story Ephraim Goes Back to Alfalfa in his literary...
, first published in 1958. It is widely considered to be one of the most prominent works in Israeli literature
Israeli literature
Israeli literature is literature written in the State of Israel by Israelis. Most works classed as Israeli literature are written in the Hebrew language, although some Israeli authors write in Yiddish, English, Arabic and Russian...
.
The novel describes 7 days during the Israeli War of Independence in which it follows a squad of IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
soldiers trying to hold a godforsaken post in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert. The story's stream of consciousness focuses on the inner worlds of the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
soldiers, both during and between battles. The story is based on the real-life battle for Horbat Ma'achaz fought by the Yiftach Brigade
Yiftach Brigade
The Yiftach Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade...
in October 1948, although the battle is never mentioned by name.
Yizhar received the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
in 1959 for his novel.