Yaakov Shabtai
Encyclopedia
Yaakov Shabtai was an Israeli novelist, playwright, and translator.
, Mandate Palestine. In 1957, after completing military service, he joined Kibbutz Merhavia, but returned to Tel Aviv in 1967.
His best known work is Zikhron Devarim (1977), published in English in 1985 as Past Continuous
. Written as a single paragraph, it was the first novel ever to be written in truly vernacular Hebrew
. In its English translation the novel received international acclaim as a unique work of modernism, prompting critic Gabriel Josipovici
of The Independent
to name it the greatest novel of the decade, comparing it to Proust
's In Search of Lost Time
.
In Israel, Shabtai is also known as a playwright, having written such classics of the Israeli stage as Crowned Head and The Spotted Tiger. He also translated many plays into Hebrew, including works by Harold Pinter
, Neil Simon
, Noel Coward
and Eugene O'Neill
. Other works by Shabtai include Uncle Peretz Takes Off
, a collection of short stories, and Past Perfect
(Sof Davar), a continuation of Past Continuous in terms of narrative and style, published posthumously. In 2006 a collection of early stories was published under the title A Circus in Tel Aviv.
Shabtai died of a heart attack
in 1981.
Shabtai's brother Aharon
is a poet and a translator from Ancient Greek.
In 2005, he was voted the 173rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Biography
Shabtai was born in 1934 in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Mandate Palestine. In 1957, after completing military service, he joined Kibbutz Merhavia, but returned to Tel Aviv in 1967.
His best known work is Zikhron Devarim (1977), published in English in 1985 as Past Continuous
Past Continuous (novel)
Past Continuous is a 1977 novel originally written in Hebrew by Israeli novelist Yaakov Shabtai. The original title, Zikhron Devarim is a form of contract or letter of agreement or memorandum, but could also be translated literally as Remembrance of Things.Past Continuous is Shabtai’s first, and...
. Written as a single paragraph, it was the first novel ever to be written in truly vernacular Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
. In its English translation the novel received international acclaim as a unique work of modernism, prompting critic Gabriel Josipovici
Gabriel Josipovici
Gabriel David Josipovici FBA, FRSL is a British novelist, short story writer, critic, literary theorist, and playwright.-Biography:...
of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
to name it the greatest novel of the decade, comparing it to Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust. His most prominent work, it is popularly known for its considerable length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine." The novel is widely...
.
In Israel, Shabtai is also known as a playwright, having written such classics of the Israeli stage as Crowned Head and The Spotted Tiger. He also translated many plays into Hebrew, including works by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
, Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
and Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
. Other works by Shabtai include Uncle Peretz Takes Off
Uncle Peretz Takes Off
Uncle Peretz Takes Off , is a collection of short stories by Israeli writer Yaakov Shabtai. An English translation by Dalya Bilu was published in 2004...
, a collection of short stories, and Past Perfect
Past Perfect (Sof Davar)
Past Perfect is a 1984 novel by Israeli novelist Yaakov Shabtai.The original Hebrew title, Sof Davar can be translated literally as The End Result or Epilogue. Shabtai died in 1981, before completing a final draft. The novel was published posthumously, edited for publication by the literary...
(Sof Davar), a continuation of Past Continuous in terms of narrative and style, published posthumously. In 2006 a collection of early stories was published under the title A Circus in Tel Aviv.
Shabtai died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1981.
Shabtai's brother Aharon
Aharon Shabtai
Aharon Shabtai is one of the Hebrew language's leading poets, as well as a translator of Greek drama into Hebrew.-Biography:...
is a poet and a translator from Ancient Greek.
Awards and honours
- In 1978, Shabtai was awarded the Bernstein PrizeBernstein PrizeThe Bernstein Prize is an annual Israeli literary award for writers 50 years of age and younger. The prize is awarded by the Bernstein Foundation, named after Mordechai Bernstein, who left money in his estate to establish a foundation in order to encourage young Hebrew writers...
(original Hebrew novel category), which was the inaugural year of the prize. - In 1978, he was awarded the Kinor David Prize for Plays.
- In 1982, he was posthumously awarded the Agnon Prize for literature.
- In 1999, the Tel Aviv Municipality named a street after him.
In 2005, he was voted the 173rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Works Translated into English
- Past ContinuousPast Continuous (novel)Past Continuous is a 1977 novel originally written in Hebrew by Israeli novelist Yaakov Shabtai. The original title, Zikhron Devarim is a form of contract or letter of agreement or memorandum, but could also be translated literally as Remembrance of Things.Past Continuous is Shabtai’s first, and...
(Zikhron Devarim, HeHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
: זכרון דברים) Jewish Publication Society of AmericaJewish Publication Society of AmericaThe Jewish Publication Society , originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English...
, 1985, ISBN 0827602391 - Past PerfectPast Perfect (Sof Davar)Past Perfect is a 1984 novel by Israeli novelist Yaakov Shabtai.The original Hebrew title, Sof Davar can be translated literally as The End Result or Epilogue. Shabtai died in 1981, before completing a final draft. The novel was published posthumously, edited for publication by the literary...
(Sof Davar, HeHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
: סוף דבר) Viking PressViking PressViking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, 1987, ISBN 0670813087 - Uncle Peretz Takes OffUncle Peretz Takes OffUncle Peretz Takes Off , is a collection of short stories by Israeli writer Yaakov Shabtai. An English translation by Dalya Bilu was published in 2004...
(Ha-Dod Peretz Mamree, HeHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
: הדוד פרץ ממריא) Overlook, 2004, ISBN 1585673404
Other Works
- The Wondrous Journey of the Toad (Ha-Masah Ha-Muflah Shel Ha-Karpad, HeHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
: המסע המופלא של הקרפד; Children's book), 1964. - Poems and Ballads (Shirei Ha-Zemer), 1992.
- The Spotted Tiger and Other Plays (Namer Havarburot Ve-Aherim), 1995.
- Crowned Head and Other Plays (Keter Ba-Rosh Ve-Aherim), 1995.
- A Circus in Tel Aviv (Kirkas be-Tel Aviv, short stories, some alternate versions of stories from Uncle Peretz Takes Off), 2006.
External links
- Yaakov Shabtai at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature