World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Aharon Megged

アハロン・メゲド

Aharon Megged

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1920-08-10 （Włocławek, Second Polish Republic）
Died
2016-03-23 （Tel Aviv, Israel） age 95
Nationality
Israeli
Languages
Hebrew
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Ra'anana → Sdot Yam (kibbutz) → Tel Aviv → London (residence while cultural attaché)

Career

Occupations
Author, Playwright, Diplomat, Editor
Active Years
1940-2016
Influenced By
S.Y. Agnon, Contemporary Hebrew writers
Influenced
Younger Israeli writers

Education

Herzliya High School (Tel Aviv)
Country: Mandatory Palestine
After high school joined the Zionist youth movement HaMahanot HaOlim
University of Oxford (author-in-residence)
Period: 1977-1978
Country: United Kingdom
Author-in-residence at the Center for Hebrew Studies
University of Iowa (author-in-residence)
Country: United States
Served as author-in-residence

Awards

Ussishkin Prize
1954
Work: Hedva and I
Result: 受賞
Bialik Prize
1974
Work: The Evyatar Notebooks; Of Trees and Stones
Organization: Tel Aviv Municipality (Bialik Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Israel Prize (Literature)
2003
Category: 文学
Organization: State of Israel
Result: 受賞
Koret Jewish Book Award
2004
Work: Foiglman (translated)
Category: フィクション（翻訳）
Result: 受賞（同賞）
Brenner Prize
Result: 受賞
S.Y. Agnon Prize
Result: 受賞
Prime Minister's Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hedva and I

1954 Novel

A novel contrasting kibbutz life and urban materialism; source for the TV series 'Hedva and Shlomik'.

kibbutz ideal vs. realityurbanizationhuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Television drama] Hedva and Shlomik
Translations
  • Spanish, English, Russian, French (partial translations)

Fortunes of a Fool

1960 Novel

A story about fate and morality, exploring contrasts between urban and rural values and materialism.

fatemoralityurban vs rural

The Living and the Dead

1965 Novel

Deals with life and death, memory and the past.

life and deathmemory

The Short Life

1972 Novel

Explores brief lives and individual conflicts.

individual conflictmortality

The Evyatar Notebooks

Novel

A collection of linked stories exploring the relationship between individuals and community.

communityindividual

Foiglman

Novel

A novel addressing postwar human conditions and memory; its English translation received recognition.

postwarmemory

Bibliography

  • Hedva and I
  • Fortunes of a Fool
  • The Living and the Dead
  • The Short Life
  • The Evyatar Notebooks
  • Foiglman
  • Asahel
  • The Flying Camel and the Golden Hump
  • Hanna Senesz (play)
  • The First Sin (play)

Adaptations

  • TV series 'Hedva and Shlomik' (based on Hedva and I)

Translations of Works

  • Hedva and I: Spanish, English, Russian, French
  • Foiglman: English translation (award-winning)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Modern Hebrew proseRealist depiction with strong psychological characterization
Recurring Motifs
kibbutz vs. citymemory and the pastindividual vs. community

Legacy

Aharon Megged was a major figure in Hebrew literature, acclaimed for works contrasting kibbutz and urban life and exploring inner lives. He received multiple awards, his works have been translated into several languages and adapted for television.

Archives

  • Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature (related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • TV series 'Hedva and Shlomik'

Trivia

  • Birth name Aharon Greenberg.
  • Immigrated to Mandatory Palestine with his family in 1926.
  • Member of Kibbutz Sdot Yam for twelve years.
  • Co-founder and editor (15 years) of the literary weekly 'Masa'.
  • Published around 35 books.
  • Married to author Eda Zoritte.
  • Buried in Kinneret cemetery.