Hagar Yanai
Encyclopedia
Hagar Yanai is an Israel
i author and recipient of the 2008 Prime Minister's Award for Israeli Authors. She is also a two-time recipient of the Geffen Award
for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy.
Barkai
in 1972. Following her army service she studied Anthroposophy
for two years at Kibbutz Harduf. After deciding not to adopt the spiritual anthroposophist way of life she traveled to Japan
. There she studied for a year with a Zen master
in Tokyo
, and also worked as a hostess in night clubs. She spent some time in a Zen
monastery
in Kyosho
, and had an affair with the head of the monastery, which she wrote about in her first book, A Woman in Light.
Yanai received her Bachelors degree in creative writing
and screenwriting
from Camera Obscura School of Art, and her Master's degree
in literature
from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
. She worked as a journalist
for Hayim Aherim (A Different Life) magazine, and for the weekend supplement of Hebrew daily Ha'aretz. She was also a book critic for the Hebrew daily Globes
, and the literary
and film critic
for Israeli Television Channel Two
. Today she works as a literary editor, teaches creative writing, and is a book critic for the IDF radio station
and Israel Television Channel One
.
Her second book, Alex's Eternity Machine, describes the journey of a rebellious female soldier in the Golan Heights. The soldier, Duba, runs away from a young and aggressive officer who wants to rehabilitate her, and looks for Alex, a young physics genius, with whom she fell in love in her youth, and who is trying to invent the Perpetuum Mobile
. The book was nominated for the 2006 Sapir Prize
for Literature.
Yanai's third book, The Leviathan of Babylon, is the first of a fantasy
trilogy
. She wrote the book in a groundbreaking effort to create a widespread audience in the Israeli literary scene for the fantasy genre - her favorite. The book follows the adventures of Jonathan Margolis and his sister Ella, who enter a parallel world, the Empire of Babylon
, ruled by the Guild of Hashdarpans – brutal physician-priests who fear the rise of the Leviathan, son of the Abyss. The book draws inspiration from Jewish
, Babylonian and Middle-Eastern
mythology
. The Leviathan of Babylon was awarded the 2007 Geffen Award
for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy.
Yanai's fourth book and the second in The Leviathan of Babylon trilogy, The Water Between the Worlds, was published in February 2008. It describes the beginning of the great battle for the Empire of Babylon. The four protagonists from the first book, Jonathan and Ella Margolis, Hillel Ben-Shahar, and Princess Nin-Urmuz, are faced with even more difficult challenges and ordeals. The Water Betwixt the Worlds was awarded the 2008 Geffen Award for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy. Yanai was also awarded the 2008 Prime Minister's Award for Israeli Authors.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i author and recipient of the 2008 Prime Minister's Award for Israeli Authors. She is also a two-time recipient of the Geffen Award
Geffen Award
The Geffen Award is an annual literary award given by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1999, and presented at the Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, ICon Festival...
for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy.
Life and Works
Hagar Yanai was born in KibbutzKibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Barkai
Barkai
Barkai is an Israeli kibbutz in the Menashe Regional Council on the western side of Wadi Ara. Its main industries include thermal and acoustic insulation, lamination and packaging: the Polyon Barkai factory; and agriculture: cattle, poultry, avocado and field crops.-External links:* *...
in 1972. Following her army service she studied Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
for two years at Kibbutz Harduf. After deciding not to adopt the spiritual anthroposophist way of life she traveled to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. There she studied for a year with a Zen master
Zen master
Zen master is an umbrella title sometimes used to refer to an individual who has been recognized by an authorized Zen lineage holder and teacher as having met his or her own teacher's standards of realization or insight. These standards vary widely in different traditions, and may vary among...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and also worked as a hostess in night clubs. She spent some time in a Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Kyosho
Kyosho
is a model car company based in Tokyo, Japan. The brand operates internationally under the name KYOSHO. The company's main office is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and the production headquarters are located in Atsugi, Kanagawa....
, and had an affair with the head of the monastery, which she wrote about in her first book, A Woman in Light.
Yanai received her Bachelors degree in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
and screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
from Camera Obscura School of Art, and her Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
. She worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for Hayim Aherim (A Different Life) magazine, and for the weekend supplement of Hebrew daily Ha'aretz. She was also a book critic for the Hebrew daily Globes
Globes
Globes is a Hebrew language daily evening financial newspaper, published in Israel. According to TGI 2009 media survey Globes' market share rose 15% over the year to 4.4%. Its main competitors in printed media are TheMarker of Haaretz group and Calcalist published by Yedioth Ahronoth Group...
, and the literary
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and film critic
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
for Israeli Television Channel Two
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
. Today she works as a literary editor, teaches creative writing, and is a book critic for the IDF radio station
Israel Army Radio
Army Radio or Galei Tzahal known in Israel by its acronym Galatz , is a nationwide Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces....
and Israel Television Channel One
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
.
Her second book, Alex's Eternity Machine, describes the journey of a rebellious female soldier in the Golan Heights. The soldier, Duba, runs away from a young and aggressive officer who wants to rehabilitate her, and looks for Alex, a young physics genius, with whom she fell in love in her youth, and who is trying to invent the Perpetuum Mobile
Perpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
. The book was nominated for the 2006 Sapir Prize
Sapir Prize
The Sapir Prize for Literature of Israel is a prestigious annual literary award presented for a work of fine literature. The prize is awarded by Mifal Hapayis , and is a part of the organization's cultural initiatives...
for Literature.
Yanai's third book, The Leviathan of Babylon, is the first of a fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
. She wrote the book in a groundbreaking effort to create a widespread audience in the Israeli literary scene for the fantasy genre - her favorite. The book follows the adventures of Jonathan Margolis and his sister Ella, who enter a parallel world, the Empire of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, ruled by the Guild of Hashdarpans – brutal physician-priests who fear the rise of the Leviathan, son of the Abyss. The book draws inspiration from Jewish
Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology is generally the sacred and traditional narratives that help explain and symbolize the Jewish religion, whereas Jewish folklore consists of the folk tales and legends that existed in the general Jewish culture. There is very little early folklore distinct from the aggadah literature...
, Babylonian and Middle-Eastern
Middle Eastern mythology
Middle East mythology may refer to:*mythologies of the Ancient Near East**Mesopotamian mythology** Ancient Egyptian mythology** Hittite mythology*Abrahamic mythology** Islamic mythology** Jewish mythology** Christian mythology...
mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. The Leviathan of Babylon was awarded the 2007 Geffen Award
Geffen Award
The Geffen Award is an annual literary award given by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1999, and presented at the Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, ICon Festival...
for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy.
Yanai's fourth book and the second in The Leviathan of Babylon trilogy, The Water Between the Worlds, was published in February 2008. It describes the beginning of the great battle for the Empire of Babylon. The four protagonists from the first book, Jonathan and Ella Margolis, Hillel Ben-Shahar, and Princess Nin-Urmuz, are faced with even more difficult challenges and ordeals. The Water Betwixt the Worlds was awarded the 2008 Geffen Award for Best Original Hebrew Fantasy. Yanai was also awarded the 2008 Prime Minister's Award for Israeli Authors.
Books Written by Hagar Yanai
- A Woman in Light, Jerusalem, KeterKeter Publishing HouseKeter Publishing House is one of the largest publishers in Israel. It was formed in 2005 through a merger of Keter Publishing and Steimatzky. Keter has a large book marketing and distribution network, as well print services and book production for the Israeli domestic and export market. Keter is...
, 2001 - Alex's Eternity Machine, Jerusalem, Keter, 2004
- The Leviathan of Babylon, Jerusalem, Keter, 2006
- The Water Betwixt the Worlds, Jerusalem, Keter, 2008
Books Edited by Hagar Yanai
- Roses Over There: Erotic Fiction by Israeli Writers, Tel-Aviv, Alfa, 2003
- Signed By / Orit Shahar-Guber, Jerusalem, Keter, 2005
External links
- The Leviathan of Babylon Website
- Excerpt from The Leviathan of Babylon
- Hagar Yanai – From the New Hebrew Literature Lexicon
- "Hocus Pocus", by Gon Ben-Ari, Ynet, 16.03.08
- "Hagar Yanai's Final Theory" by Eli EshedEli EshedEli Eshed is an Israeli researcher of popular culture who has spent considerable time and effort analyzing the Israeli pulp magazines and paperbacks of the 1950s and 1960s....
, 18.2.2005 - "Creator of Worlds: Hagar Yanai and the Leviathan of Babylon" by Eli Eshed, 18.2.2005
- "Anti-Aging" by Eli Eshed, NRG, 13.2.2005
- "Yielding is Power", by Yoram KaniukYoram KaniukYoram Kaniuk is an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theater critic.-Biography:Yoram Kaniuk was born in Tel Aviv. His father, Moshe Kaniuk, born in Ternopil, Galicia , was the first curator of Tel Aviv Museum of Art. His grandfather was a Hebrew teacher who wrote his own textbooks....
, 30.01.05 - "Babel Meanderings" by Gili Bar-HillelGili Bar-HillelGili Bar-Hillel Semo is an English-Hebrew translator from Israel, best known for translating the Harry Potter series into Hebrew.-Biography:...
, Ynet, 26.06.06 - "The Leviathan of Babylon conveys the agenda of the love of melancholy in a pleasurable world of fantasy" by Lilach Wallach, Nana 10, 31.05.2006
- Shahar Ilan, on the book The Water Betwixt the Worlds, Ha'aretz website, 9.7.2008
- Hagar Yanai recommends five fantasy books that are Israeli in essence, Ynet, 06.11.07
- Amichai Shalev, "The Room Between the Worlds", Ynet, 7/11/2008