Yaniv Iczkovits Explained

Yaniv Iczkovits
Native Name Lang:	he
Birth Date:	2 May 1975
Birth Place:	Beer-Sheba, Israel
Occupation:	Writer, university lecturer
Language:	Hebrew
Awards:	2007Haaretz Books award for first published work 2010Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works 2016Ramat Gan Prize for Literature; Agnon Prize 2021Wingate Literary Prize

Yaniv Iczkovits (born May 2, 1975) is an Israeli writer known for his novels, essays and philosophical work. His 2015 fantasy-historical adventure novel The Slaughterman's Daughter, with an unlikely assortment of Jewish characters on a quest in late 19th century Czarist Russia, has been translated into several European languages and gained critical acclaim.

Early life and education

Iczkovits was born in Beersheba and grew up in Rishon Lezion. His grandparents immigrated to Mandatory Palestine after the Holocaust, from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. One grandfather was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp.^[1]

In 1993, he enlisted in the IDF, volunteered for the Maglan elite commando unit and served as an officer. As a team commander he took part in the fighting in southern Lebanon. Upon his discharge from the IDF with the rank of lieutenant, he traveled to the Far East.^[2] He enrolled in the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students at Tel Aviv University for his undergraduate studies, and during his master's degree he spent a year as a Chevening fellow at Oxford University.^[3] His doctoral dissertation dealt with Ludwig Wittgenstein's thought and analyzed the interplay between ethics and language.^[4]

Academic career

He taught for eight years at the University of Tel Aviv's Philosophy Department. After receiving his PhD, he went on to pursue postdoctoral research at Columbia University in New York City,^[5] where he adapted his doctoral dissertation into the book Wittgenstein's Ethical Thought.^[6]

For the academic year 2021/2022, Iczkovits was appointed to serve as artist in residence at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a position previously held by poet Agi Mishol and playwright Joshua Sobol.^[3]

Views and positions

In 2002, after a stint of reservist service in Gaza during the Second Intifada, Iczkovits, together with social activist, initiated the "Combatants' Letter," in which they declared their refusal to serve in the territories of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. An initial 51 soldiers and officers signed the letter, which was published as an advertisement in the mass-circulation daily newspaper Haaretz. This launched the movement known as (Hebrew: "Courage to refuse"). Some six hundred Israeli soldiers affirmed their refusal to serve in the occupied territories. Iczkovits spent a month in military prison for refusing to go on additional reserve service in the territories.^[7]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, he rejoined the army to fight Hamas even rejecting the occupation and Israeli extremism.Iczkovits also blames the Netanyahu governments and the Israeli left for their attitudes to Hamas.^[8]

Personal life

Iczkovits lives with his wife and three daughters in Tel Aviv.^[5]

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 2007 Inaugural Haaretz Books Prize for his first book, Pulse^[9]
• 2010 Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works (Levi Eshkol Prize), for Adam and Sophie^[10]
• 2015 Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Sport's People of the Book award for translation of Hebrew literature into foreign languages, for The Slaughterman's Daughter"^[11]
• 2016 The Ramat Gan Prize for Literature awarded for "literary excellence in the original novel category" for The Slaughterman's Daughter^[12]
• 2016 Inaugural award of the Agnon Prize for the Literary Arts, for The Slaughterman's Daughter^[13]
• 2021 The Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize for The Slaughterman's Daughter^[14]

Shortlisted

• 2017 The Slaughterman's Daughter: shortlisted for the Sapir Prize^[15]
• 2021 No One Leaves Palo Alto: shortlisted for the Sapir Prize

Reviewers' notable mention for The Slaughterman's Daughter

• 2020 The Economist – among the eight "Books of the Year" list^[16]
• 2020 The Times – among the ten "Books of the Year"^[17]
• 2021 Kirkus Reviews – "One of the 10 fiction books to look forward to in 2021"^[18]
• 2021 Publishers Weekly – "Best Books"^[19]

The Slaughterman's Daughter reviewed by the major press

• 2021 The Wall Street Journal – "Fiction: ‘In Memory of Memory’ Review" ^[20]
• 2021 The New York Times – "Chasing Down a Deadbeat Dad, With a Knife Strapped to Her Leg"^[21]

Publications

Nonfiction

• Wittgenstein's Ethical Thought (Based on his doctoral dissertation), London, Palgrave Macmillan,; 2012 .
• Convicts and Heroes: Wittgensteinian Afterthoughts on Uri Barabash's 'In Clean Conscience' and 'Double Alpha'. Article published by The Free Library, 2017^[22]

Fiction

• Dofeq (Pulse), Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing, 2007, Danacode 310004255^[23]
  • in Italian: Batticuore, 2010,, ; translated by Antonio Di Gesù^[24]
• Adam and Sophie, Hakibbutz Hameuchad – Siman Kriya, 2009, Danacode 310004656^[25]
• Dinei Yerusha (Laws of Inheritance, novella), Achuzat Bayit Publishing, 2010,
• Tikkun Ahar Hatzot (An After Midnight Prayer), Keter Publishing, 2015,
  • in Italian: Tikkun o la vendetta di Mende Speismann per mano della sorella Fanny, 2018,, ; translated by Ofra Bannet and Raffaella Scardi^[26]
  • in Dutch: De Slachtersdochter, 2019, De Geus, ; translated by Hilde Pach^[26]
  • in English (U.K. edition): The Slaughterman's Daughter: The Avenging of Mende Speissman by the Hand of her Sister Fanny, 2020, MacLehose Press, ; translated by Orr Scharf^[26]
  • in English (U.S. edition): The Slaughterman's Daughter: A novel, Feb. 23, 2021, Schocken Books, ; translated by Orr Scharf^[27]
  • in Polish: Córka rzeźnika, October 2021,, ; translated by Anna Halbersztat^[26]
• Af Echad Lo Ozev et Palo Alto (Nobody Leaves Palo Alto), Keter Publishing, 2020, Danacode 10-279193^[28]

External links

• Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits. Author's page at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature website
• Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits. Author's page at Goodreads.com
• Web site: Webinar interview with author Yaniv Iczkovits. Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University Book Club. 7 August 2020. 13 February 2021.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Webinar interview with author Yaniv Iczkovits. Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University Book Club. 7 August 2020. 13 February 2021.
2. Web site: יניב איצקוביץ' רצה להיות כמו כולם. Yaniv Iczkovits Wanted to be Like Everybody Else. Karpel. Dalia. Haaretz online. 2007-05-09. he. 2011-07-09.
3. Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits, author, Artist in Residence for 2021/2022. Israel Institute for Advanced Studies. 16 February 2021.
4. Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits . The Institute for Translation of Hebrew Literature (www.ithl.org.il) . 27 January 2021.
5. Web site: A conversation with author Yaniv Iczkovits. Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University Book Club. 5 August 2020. 13 February 2021.
6. Book: Wittgenstein's Ethical Thought. Yaniv Iczkovits. Palgrave Macmillan. 2012. 978-1-137-02635-4. 14 January 2021.
7. News: "Officers letter" . . 31 January 2002.
8. News: Biosca Azcoiti . Javier . De la Intifada a la ofensiva en Gaza: qué fue de los militares que se negaron a servir en los territorios ocupados . 22 November 2023 . elDiario.es . 20 November 2023 . es.
9. Web site: Itzkovich's 'Pulse' Wins Haaretz First Book Prize. Lev-Ari. Shiri. Haaretz. 8 January 2008.
10. Web site: בין 14 זוכי פרס ראש הממשלה ויזלטיר, קסטל בלום, פוצ'ו וגברון. Among the 14 laureates of the Prime Minister's Prize: Wieseltier, Castel-Bloom, Puchu, and Gavron. Sela. Maya. Haaretz. he. 1 December 2010. 2020-01-02.
11. Web site: קרן 'עם הספר' תתרגם 17 ספרים ישראליים לשפו זרות. The 'People of the Book' Fund will translate 17 Israeli books into foreign languages. Izikovitz. Gili. haaretz online. 2016-01-18. Hebrew. 21 February 2021.
12. Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing. 3 February 2021.
13. Web site: Agnon Prize for the year 5777. Agnon House, Jerusalem. Hebrew. 16 February 2021.
14. Web site: Yaniv Iczkovits wins 2021 Wingate Prize. The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation. 8 March 2021. 8 March 2021.
15. Web site: Sapir Prize shortlist nominee. 2016. Hebrew. 3 February 2021.
16. News: Our books of the year. December 3, 2020. The Economist.
17. Web site: The Times and The Sunday Times Best Books of 2020 | Books in the Media . . booksinthemedia.thebookseller.com.
18. Web site: 10 Fiction Books To Look for in 2021. Kirkus Reviews.
19. Web site: The Slaughterman's Daughter. Publishers Weekly.
20. Web site: In Memory of Memory. Sacks. Sam. 19 February 2021. The Wall Street Journal. 5 March 2021.
21. Web site: Chasing Down a Deadbeat Dad, With a Knife Strapped to Her Leg. Azoulay. Shay K.. 23 February 2021. The New York Times. 5 March 2021.
22. Web site: Convicts and Heroes: Wittgensteinian Afterthoughts on Uri Barabash's 'In Clean Conscience' and 'Double Alpha' . Iczkovits . Yaniv . Post Script . . 1 January 2017.
23. Web site: Pulse. Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing catalog. 21 February 2021.
24. Web site: Editions of דופק by Yaniv Iczkovits . . 26 January 2021.
25. Web site: Adam and Sophie. Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing catalog. 21 February 2021.
26. Web site: Foreign language editions of The Slaughterman's Daughter by Yaniv Iczkovits . Goodreads. 26 January 2021.
27. Web site: The Slaughterman's Daughter: A novel. Penguin Random House. 28 February 2021.
28. Web site: Af Echad Lo Ozev et Palo Alto. Keter Publishing catalog. 3 February 2021.