Abraham B. Yehoshua, one of Israel’s best-known writers, has died at the age of 85. This was announced by Israel’s President Yitzhak Herzog in a statement today, describing Yehoshua as “one of the greatest writers and storytellers in the State of Israel”. The National Library of Israel, which houses his archives, described Yehoshua as synonymous with modern Israeli literature.
The successful author was born in Jerusalem in 1936, where his family with oriental roots had lived for five generations. He studied literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University. From 1963 to 1967 he taught in Paris. In recent years he has lived in the port city of Haifa in the north of the country, where he also taught at the university.
Yehoshua’s works have been translated into around 30 languages. In German, among others, “Freundesfeuer” (2009), “The Liberated Bride” (2003) and “The Lover” (1999) appeared. His novel The Five Seasons of Molcho (1989) was named one of the ten most important books in Israel. Yehoshua has received numerous awards for his literary work, including the 1995 Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor.