Shez Explained
| Shez |
| Native Name: | שז |
| Native Name Lang: | he |
| Birth Name: | Efrat Yerushalmi |
| Birth Date: | 30 October 1959 |
| Birth Place: | Kiryat Ono, Israel |
| Nationality: | Israeli |
| Occupation: | Writer, poet, playwright, musician, songwriter |
| Notableworks: | The Crazy Dance, Away From His Absence |
| Awards: | Ron Adler Prize for Poetry (1999), Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works (2007), Hero of Culture Award from the Israeli LGBT community (2004) |
Shez (Shaz, Hebrew: שז) (born Efrat Yerushalmi on 30 October 1959)[1] is an Israeli writer, poet and playwright. Recipient of the 1999 for Poetry and the 2007 Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works.[1] She is also a musician and a songwriter, described as "the first out lesbian performer in Israel".[2] More recently she has become a facilitator of writing workshops and "weight loss through writing" workshops.[3]
Early life
Shez was born in Kiryat Ono to Avraham and Ada Yerushalmi. She was subject to incest, reflected in her poems and books.[4] Trying to distance herself from the past, she changed her name ("Shez" is a Hebrew contraction of Shem Zmani (Hebrew: שם זמני), "temporary name") at the age of 25.[4]
Shez studied theatre at .[4]
Creative career
Shez is described as a "provocative and extroverted lesbian" and her poetry is "outrageous, blunt and violent and leaves not even a narrow crack for sentimentality and compassion".[4]
Albums
- 2002: Crazy Dance, music album based on the 1999 book
- 2020: להחזיר את הפיות (Return the Fairies) a music album in cooperation with Jonathan Bar Giora, released by Helicon Records
Books
- 1996: White Pearl Necklace, a play about childhood sexual abuse[5]
- 1999: The Crazy Dance (ריקוד המשוגעת) - songs
- 2001: Returning the Fairies to Eretz Israel: A Fake Autobiographical Novel (להחזיר את הפיות לארץ-ישראל)[6]
- 2005" Tamed (מאולפת) - stories
- 2010: Away From His Absence (הרחק מהיעדרו), Am Oved Publishing. Written in the first person, it is a novel about the incestuous relationship between a father and a daughter. A screenplay by Keren Yedaya based on the book was chosen to take part in a Jerusalem Film Festival.[7] Eventually, it resulted in the 2014 Israeli-French drama film with English title That Lovely Girl, screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival to compete in the section Un Certain Regard.
Awards
Notes and References
- https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000596427 "ההפרדה בין כוחות ההרס וביני נעשית מאוד ברורה באמצעות הכתיבה"
- Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures: Volume 2, George Haggerty, p. 484: "Zhez"
- https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/55/ART2/209/023.html?hp=55&cat=305 המסלול העוקף: "לאט לאט אני לומדת להרפות"
- http://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.707506 ילדה ושמה שז
- "Talent-spotting for a new Shakespeare in Acre", The Jerusalem Post, 1996 (archived text)
- https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/archive/ART/166/964.html A review of the book Returning the Fairies
- https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/filmmakers-use-taboos-to-lure-investors-1.5265191 "Israeli Director Keren Yedaya Pitches Screenplay About Incest at Jerusalem Film Festival"
- http://gogay.co.il/item.php?id=4699 יקירי הקהילה: שז, אילנה ברגר, והזוג ירוס-חקק
