Yossi Avni-Levy
Yossi Avni-Levy | |
|---|---|
יוסי אבני לוי | |
Yossi Avni-Levy | |
| Ambassador of Israel to Lithuania | |
| Assumed office 2020 | |
| Ambassador of Israel to Serbia | |
| In office 2011–2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 May 1962 Israel |
| Education | Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BA, LLB) |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works Brenner Prize |
| Writing career | |
| Notable works |
|
Yossi Avni-Levy (Hebrew: יוסי אבני לוי; born 25 May 1962) is an Israeli writer and diplomat. He has served in various positions in Israeli embassies in Berlin, Bonn, Belgrade, and Warsaw. He is Israel’s ambassador to Lithuania.[1] From 2011 until 2016, he was Ambassador to Serbia.[2]
Avni-Levy is the author of the books Garden of the Dead Trees, Four Sons, Auntie Farhuma wasn't a whore after all, A Man without Shadow, Ode of the Sins and Three Days in Summer.
He is the recipient of many awards and honours, among them the Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works, the Brenner Prize and the Sapir Prize.[3]
Early life and education
Avni-Levy was born 25 May 1962 in Ra'anana Israel, to an Afghan Jewish father and an Iranian Jewish mother.[4] He graduated with honors from Hebrew University in Jerusalem in history of the Middle East and Arabic in 1983, earning a bachelor of laws (LLB) degree from the Faculty of Law in 1991.[5]
Career
Avni-Levy's writing is personal and poetic and is noteworthy for its intimacy. The extended periods he has spent outside Israel on diplomatic postings are reflected in his works.[6]
He published short stories under the pen name Yossi Avni in the literary supplements to Maariv and Haaretz. He won first prize in Hebrew University's annual contest in 1988, first prize in a contest sponsored by "At (You)" in 1991, and third prize in the Haaretz short story contest for his story "Pains" in 1991. His travelogue, "Journey," was included in the first issue of the journal Rechov (Street).
In 1995 he published the short story collection, "The Garden of Dead Trees".[7] The collection of stories concerns Tel Aviv gay community and became a cornerstone of Israeli LGBT literature.[7] The stories are drawn from real people that Avni-Levy knew in Tel Aviv's gay community.[7]
Several of his stories were included in anthologies in German, Italian, and English. Avni has also published book reviews (Haaretz, Yedioth Aharonoth) and literary reports ("Cappuccino in Three Crosses Square," Haaretz literary and cultural supplement, January 2007). Avni's story "Journey" was also included in the 1998 collection 50 Years, 50 Stories : a selection of short stories edited by Zisi Satuy of Yidioth Aharonoth. His story "Nice Words of Farewell" was included in the collection Murder Close to Home : stories about murders of Israelis edited by Dorit Zilberman and Aviva Gefen and published by Keter in 2001.
In 2007, he released the novel A Man Without Shadow (Ish Lelo Tzel), which became a best-seller in Israel.[8]
He was invited by the Polish Literature Association to give lectures in Poland (Warsaw, Kraków, Katowice) in September 2007 and gave lectures on his writing at Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Brandeis universities in the United States in April 2008.
His 2010 novel, "Ode of the Sins" (Shira HaHataim) deals with the Holocaust, he explained that although he is of Persian and Afghan descent "I write about it [the Holocaust] because it's part of my internal identity card. I'm sure it's connected to the concept of the victim that I internalized during my childhood."[9]
In 2013, a short story from his 1996 short story collection, "The Garden of Dead Trees" was adapted into the film, Snails in the Rain.[10]
In November 2024, among a pool of 78 submissions, he was awarded the Brenner Prize, a prestigious accolade recognizing excellence in Hebrew literature. It was awarded to Avni-Levy for his novel, "Three Days in Summer".[11] The novel novel depicts the routines and experiences of a fictional Jewish community in Lithuania in the days immediately preceding its destruction during the Nazi invasion.[12]
Personal life
He is openly gay.[13]
Bibliography
- 1995: The Garden of Dead Trees (Heb. Gan Ha-Etzim Ha-Metim), published in German, by Suhrkamp Verlag/Frankfurt and by Männerschwarm Verlag/Hamburg.
- 1998: Four Sons (Heb. Arba'a Banim)
- 2003: Auntie Farhuma wasn't a whore, after all (Heb. Doda Farhuma Lo Haita Zona), published in Polish Sic! publishing house.
- 2007: A Man Without Shadow (Heb. Ish Lelo Tzel), published in Serbian by Narodna biblioteka Srbije.
- 2010: Ode of the Sins (Heb. Shira HaHataim)
- 2024: Three Days in Summer (Heb. Shlosha Yamim BaKayitz)
References
- ^ "Reception for New Israeli Ambassador". Lithuanian Jewish Community. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Serbia". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Barr, Neria (30 January 2025). Yossi Avni-Levy wins Sapir Prize for Literature The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved on 25 November 2025
- ^ (30 April 2010).Yossi Avni-Levy: Israeli Diplomat, Gay Novelist Zeek. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ Yossi Avni-Levy The Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ (24 April 2016). Exile and Zion: Israeli Writers on Living and Writing Abroad Haaretz. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ a b c רגל פה, רגל שם Time Out Israel. 21 August 2013
- ^ Coussin, Orna (20 December 2007). The Marketing Dance Haaretz. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ Sela, Maya (11 May 2010). Literary Snapshots From Jerusalem Haaretz. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ Snails in the Rain UK Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved on 18 November 2024
- ^ Brenner literature prize goes to Yossi Avni-Levy The Jerusalem Post. 19 November 2024
- ^ Halutz, Avshalom (2 February 2024). How Religious Zionism Took Over the Israeli Book World in 2024 Haaretz. Retrieved on 3 December 2025
- ^ "ZEEK: Articles: Yossi Avni-Levy: Israeli Diplomat, Gay Novelist".