The Israeli essayist, playwright and novelist passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 85, leaving behind a literary legacy.
Israeli essayist, playwright and novelist AB Yehoshua passed away on Tuesday at the age of 85.
Widely considered one of the most influential and important Israeli authors, Yehoshua fought cancer for the last few years and passed away at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center. His funeral will take place tomorrow.
“How heartbreaking and symbolic it is that Yehoshua, one of the greatest Israeli authors, passed away on Hebrew Book Week,” President Isaac Herzog eulogized.
Yehoshua was born in 1936 in Jerusalem to a family from Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied at the Gymnasia Rehavia in the capital and went on to serve as a paratrooper in the IDF before beginning his degree in literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
AB Yehoshua’s storied literary career
Already in the 60s, Yehoshua began to make his mark in the Israeli literary scene, starting with the publication of The Death of the Old Man (Mot Hazaken) in 1962. in 1968 he published a collection of short stories, one of which, Three Days and a Child, was turned into a film directed by Rabbi Uri Zohar, who also recently passed away.
In 1977, Yehoshua published his first romance novel, The Lover, one of his most notable pieces. He went on to publish The Return from India (1994), Mr. Mani (1989) and The Human Resources Supervisor’s Mission (2004).
Last year, he published The Third Temple. He also published dozens of plays and children’s books, as well as nonfiction.
“‘Buli,’ as he was known by those close to him, was one of Israel’s greatest literary voices, and his unforgettable literary creations will stay with us.”
“His works, which drew from our homeland and from the treasures of our nation and our traditions, reflected back to us pictures that were exact, sharp, loving, and, at times, painful.”
Yehoshua has won the Israel Prize for literature in 1995, in addition to earning a large variety of prizes and titles, including the Bialik Prize, the EMET prize and honorary degrees from Tel Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University.
He was “a Renaissance man,” tweeted Meretz MK Yair Golan, “a humanist in every fiber of his soul and a man whose every meeting with him was a thought-and-soul provoking experience.”
AB Yehoshua’s politics
In addition to his literary mark, Yehoshua became one of the most prominent political voices on the Israeli left, has been a member of B’Tselem’s public council and was even placed on the candidate list for the Meretz party.
The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee received news of Yehoshua’s passing while it was already in session. “Most of us learned his works as part of our school curriculum, there are far and few Israelis who don’t know his name,” said Committee chairperson Gilad Kariv (Labor.)
“Besides being a celebrated author, he never for a second let his commitment to the Israeli public go. He never lost hope that Israel could right its wrongs.”
“Yehoshua’s greatness was not celebrated only in Israel but worldwide,” said Joint List MK Osama Saadi. “He told a strong stance against the occupation of 1967 and thought Palestinians deserve a state next to Israel.”