Dorit Rabinyan
| Dorit Rabinyan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | דורית רביניאן |
| Born |
September 25, 1972 Kfar Saba |
| Language | Hebrew |
| Citizenship | Israeli |
Dorit Rabinyan (Hebrew: דורית רביניאן, b. September 25, 1972) is an Israeli writer and screenwriter.
She was born in Kfar Saba to a Persian Jewish family.[1] She has published three novels, two of which have been widely translated. She has also published a poetry collection and an illustrated children's book. She also writes for television.
Her first novel Persian Brides won the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize in 1999.[2]
She was a close friend of Palestinian artist Hasan Hourani, and wrote a eulogy for him in The Guardian after his death in 2003.[3]
Her 2014 novel Gader Haya (known as Borderlife in English), which tells a love story between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian, has become the center of controversy. The novel was well-received and won the Bernstein Prize.[4] In 2015, a committee of teachers requested Borderlife be added to the recommended curriculum for Hebrew high school literature classes. A committee in the Israeli Ministry of Education found the book inappropriate and declined to add it, on the grounds, according to The Economist, that it promotes intermarriage and assimilation.[5] Dalia Fenig, the leading committee member, argued that the book "could do more harm than good" at this time of heightened tensions, though she noted the book was not banned and could be added next year. The decision led to protests from high school teachers and principals and opposition politician Isaac Herzog.[6] Sales of the book have surged in the aftermath.[7]
Books
- Yes, Yes, Yes (poetry), 1991 [כן, כן, כן Ken, Ken, Ken]
- Persian Brides (novel), 1995 [סמטת השקדיות בעומריג'אן Simtat Ha-Shkediyot Be-Oumrijan], translated into English, 1998
- Our Weddings (Strand of a Thousand Pearls) (novel), 1999 [החתונות שלנו Ha-Chatunot Shelanu], translated into English, 2001
- And Where Was I? (picture book), 2006 [אז איפה הייתי אני Az Eifo Hayiti Ani?]
- Gader Haya ("Hedgerow" - English title: Borderlife, novel), 2014 [גדר חיה Gader Chaya]
References
- ↑ "Dorit Rabinyan". Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ "Jewish Quarterly Literary Prize Winners, 1996 - 2000 inclusive". Jewish Quarterly. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ "The exile's return". The Guardian. April 2, 2004. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ Lazareva, Inna (December 31, 2015). "Officials ban book depicting love story between Israeli and Palestinian from Israeli classrooms". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ "Israel is clamping down on Jewish terrorists". The Economist. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ↑ Kershner, Isabel (2015-12-31). "Jewish-Arab Love Story Excluded From Israeli Classrooms". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ↑ Izikovich, Gili (January 7, 2016). "Demand for "Borderlife" Surges in Israel After Novel Is Banned From Schools". Haaretz. Retrieved 2016-01-07.