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Ephraim Kishon

エフライム・キション

Ephraim Kishon

Aliases: Ferenc Hoffmann / Franz Kishunt
Pen Names: Ferenc Hoffmann（Birth name (Hungary)）, Franz Kishunt（Signature used in post-war Hungary）, Ephraim Kishon（Hebraicized name used publicly in Israel）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1924-08-23 （Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary）
Died
2005-01-29 （Appenzell, Switzerland） age 80
Nationality
Hungary, Israel
Languages
Hebrew, Hungarian, German, English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Israel (Haifa, Tel Aviv, etc.) → Switzerland (Appenzell)

Career

Occupations
Author, Satirist, Playwright, Screenwriter, Film director, Columnist
Active Years
1945-2004
Nominations
Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film) nomination — Sallah Shabati, Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film) nomination — The Policeman (Ha-Shoter Azoulay)

Education

—
Metalwork / Art history
Period: 1942-1948
Year of Graduation: 1948
Country: Hungary
Studied jewelry making, metal sculpturing and art history. Exact institution name unclear in provided sources.

Awards

Nordau Prize (Literature)
1953
Result: 受賞
Sokolov Prize for Journalism
1958
Organization: Sokolov Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Kinor David (David's Harp) Prize
1964
Result: 受賞
Herzl Award (for Hungarian Jewry)
1970
Category: 文学
Result: 受賞
Bialik Prize (Hebrew literature)
1998
Category: ヘブライ文学
Organization: Tel Aviv Municipality
Result: 共同受賞
Israel Prize (lifetime achievement)
2002
Category: 社会及び国家への特別な貢献
Organization: State of Israel
Result: 受賞
Golden Globe Award (Best Foreign Language Film)
1964
Work: Sallah Shabati
Category: 映画（外国語）
Organization: Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Result: 受賞
Golden Globe Award (Best Foreign Language Film)
1972
Work: The Policeman (Ha-Shoter Azoulay)
Category: 映画（外国語）
Organization: Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Result: 受賞
Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film) — Nomination
1965
Work: Sallah Shabati
Category: 映画（外国語）
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: ノミネート
Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film) — Nomination
1972
Work: The Policeman (Ha-Shoter Azoulay)
Category: 映画（外国語）
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ha-ole Ha-Yored le-Chayenu (The Pestering Immigrant)

1951 Essay / Humor

A collection of satirical pieces about the experiences of new immigrants in Israel, dealing with resettlement, cultural clashes and bureaucracy.

ImmigrationHumorSocial satireIdentity

Sallah Shabati

1964 Film (Comedy / Satire)

A comic satire on immigration and Israeli society, starring Chaim Topol. The film achieved international success and brought Kishon recognition as a filmmaker.

Immigration policySocial inequalityCritique through humor
Adaptations
  • [Film] Sallah Shabati / Ephraim Kishon (1964)

The Policeman (Ha-Shoter Azoulay)

1971 Film (Drama / Comedy)

The story of the elderly policeman Azoulay, a human drama with comedic elements. Internationally lauded, it won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award.

AlienationProfessional ethicsCharacter study
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Policeman (Ha-Shoter Azoulay) / Ephraim Kishon (1971)

Blaumilch Canal (The Big Dig)

1969 Film (Satirical Comedy)

A satire on bureaucracy, exposing social absurdities through a municipality's overblown reaction to a lunatic's actions.

BureaucracySocial absurdityCollective psychology

Bibliography

  • Ha-ole Ha-Yored le-Chayenu (1951)
  • Thousand of Gadia and Gadia (1954)
  • Do Not Worry (1957)
  • Sketches (1959)
  • Sallah Shabati (1964, writer/director)
  • Blaumilch Canal (1969, writer/director)
  • The Policeman (1971, writer/director)
  • Partachia (2004)

Adaptations

  • Many plays and sketches translated and performed on stage and television worldwide

Translations of Works

  • Works translated into 37 languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Sharp satire and humorConcise, direct proseDialogue-driven characterisation
Recurring Motifs
Bureaucracy and institutional absurdityImmigrant / newcomer perspectiveEveryday tragicomedy

Health

  • Cardiac arrest (fatal)
    2005-01-29
    Died from cardiac arrest at home in 2005. Public information about long-term chronic conditions is limited.

Legacy

Ephraim Kishon is one of Israel's leading satirists and filmmakers; his works have been widely translated and performed internationally. His humorous yet incisive critiques of bureaucracy and immigration continue to provoke discussion.

In Popular Culture

  • Works translated into many languages and particularly popular in German-speaking countries.
  • Films Sallah Shabati and The Policeman are regarded as important works in Israeli cinema history.

Quotes

  • They made a mistake—they left one satirist alive.
    Source: From the book 'The Scapegoat'
  • I've won the Israel Prize, even though I'm pro-Israel. It's almost like a state pardon.
    Source: Comment upon receiving the Israel Prize in 2002 (2002)

Trivia

  • Birth name: Ferenc Hoffmann.
  • Holocaust survivor; reportedly used chess skill to survive interactions with guards.
  • Works translated into 37 languages, especially popular in German-speaking countries.
  • Maintained a second home in Appenzell, Switzerland, later in life.
  • Won multiple Golden Globes and was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.