Literature
Torah Museum( Dead sea scroll)
Israeli literature is primarily poetry and prose
written in Hebrew, as part of the renaissance of Hebrew as
a spoken language since the mid-19th century, although a
small body of literature is published in other languages,
such as English. By law, two copies of all printed matter
published in Israel must be deposited in the Jewish
National and University Library at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem. In 2001, the law was amended to include
audio and video recordings, and other non-print media.In
2006, 85 percent of the 8,000 books transferred to
the library were in Hebrew.
The Hebrew Book Week (שבוע
הספר) is held each June and
features book fairs, public readings, and appearances by
Israeli authors around the country. During the week,
Israel's top literary award, the Sapir Prize, is
presented.
In 1966, Shmuel Yosef Agnon shared the Nobel Prize in
Literature with German Jewish author Nelly Sachs.
Israel has also been the home of two leading
Palestinian poets and writers: Emile Habibi, whose novel The
Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, and other
writings, won him the Israel prize for Arabic literature;
and Mahmoud Darwish, considered by many to be "the
Palestinian national poet." Darwish was born and
raised in northern Israel, but lived his adult life in
exile after joining the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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