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"People do not write like that here..."
Ariana Melamed |
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Corinna Hasofferett is an Israeli
award-winning writer of Hebrew literary fiction and nonfiction,
and is a recipient of the Yaddo and Ledig writer-in-residency
fellowships and many other grants and awards. Her work has
been published in such literary magazines and e-zines as Partisan
Review, International Quarterly, Pen Israel Anthology, Archipelago,
Jacket, Patchword, Masthead, etc. Two of her recent books,
'Once She Was a Child' and 'Sodot' ('A Minyan of Lovers')
have been translated into English and are available for publication.
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 Life |
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Born in the regional town of Tecuci, Romania.
Short childhood (three-four years).
Tile-roofs, spotted hens in the courtyard. A pleasure to
discover an egg among the flowers, to punch a tiny hole and
drink it on the spot, warm and fresh, and the egg-yolk soft.
Once She Was A Child
That's how they are preserved in memory. I sit in my house,
outside the light of day and the light of night are mixed
up as cards are shuffled, and I don't notice it. I get up
from the table only to feed Ronen, go to sleep so I can return
from the dream and record every single word. A few people,
a moment before oblivion covered them with a soft cape, gave
me a saying as you give a fire that doesn't go out. If I hadn't
come, would they have remained in the transparent air-ship
of each one of them, and not crumbled away. Land of Mulberry
and Cherries
| 1941 |
Romania, as Germany's ally, adopts
the Nazi Race Laws. Father taken to slave labor. Grandfather
taken as hostage, dies.
Unlike professor Ember, I considered my father's deed
an important one, a sort of "Here I am" call which in
order to respond to a person comes into the world. Now
I know that I was following my father in order to find
the call for which I myself am here. My father did with
all his might, and all his might was in words alone… Another
Story
Our uncles, twenty, twenty-five years old, would come
in in the evenings and dance ballroom dances with us,
when we were three, four, five. Then they took them, and
our father, all the Jewish men, to slave hard labor. They
put them to work by the railway tracks. The German soldiers
would pass by on the trains and shoot for fun, at them
and at the Romanian guards. My uncle says that one of
the prisoners would always lie with his ear on the tracks
to hear if a train was approaching, so they could hide
from the Germans in time, they and their guards. Once
She Was A Child |
| 12/47 |
Illegal Alyah on Pan Crescent,
a small ship built to hold 450 people, yet crowded with
7,500 Holocaust survivors. |
| 7/48 |
Legal Alyah to the newly founded
Israel State.
When we were about to disembark from the ship that
had brought us over from the detention camps in Cypress,
a tall man came and picked me up in his arms -- I was
thin and small like an eight year old -- and took me down
the gangplank as far as the port, and said, "Don't cry
little girl, from now on everything will be well for you."
I didn't understand what he was talking about, I had been
so lucky. Pity was for others. On the other hand, if the
past incited pity, you had to throw it away as fast as
possible. Once She Was A Child |
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| C.V.
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Life's University:
| 1952-55 |
As an adolescent, worked under Abraham
Shlonsky, a major poet and chief editor at Sifriat Po'alim
Publishers, then the major Israeli publishing house.
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| 1955-6 |
Army service and member of Kibbutz
Carmia (in southwest Israel, bordering with the Gaza
Strip).
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| 1957-60 |
Member of Kibbutz Shuval in the Negev
(in southern Israel).
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Academic:
| 1965-8 |
Hebrew and English Literature B.A.
studies at the Tel-Aviv University.
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Published Writing:
| 2002 |
A Minyan of Lovers, HudnaPress, Israel
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| 1989 |
Pink Pages, Zabam & The Hebrew Writers
Association
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| 1973 |
Some Answer, Massada & Hebrew Writers
Association
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| 1970-95 |
Publication of some twenty novellas
in literary magazines
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| 1969 |
First story published immediately upon
submission to KESHET, the foremost literary magazine.
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| 1964 |
And Who Saw Micky? Children Literature,
Da'at Press
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Projected:
| 2003 |
Once She Was A Child, HudnaPress, Israel.
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Work In Progress:
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Her Window is A Triangle - memorable
nonfiction
Killing Love - fiction
Three Novels on Justice
A Dream Come True: Hilai
Orian's Fables - Children Literature.
Aviv Smiles - Children's nonfiction
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Public Activity:
| 1975 |
During terrorist attacks in the Galilee,
initiated and organized six months of biweekly meetings
between Arab and Jewish youth leaders and artists (writers,
composers, dramatists).
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| 1991 |
Taught writing workshop at Ms. Conference,
NYC.
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| 1984-95 |
Founded and directed HILAI, The Israeli
Center for the Creative Arts.
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| 2002 |
Hebrew and English Literature B.A.
studies at the Tel-Aviv University.
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Awards and Honors:
| 1973 |
The Hebrew Writers Association Publication
Prize.
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| 1978 |
The Aricha Prize for "Revelation"
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| 1979/95 |
The Institute for Translations of Heb.
Lit. Translation grants.
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| 1987 |
The New Israel Fund Wyner Prize.
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| 1988 |
The Institute for a Better Israel Award.
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| 1988 |
The Tel-Aviv Foundation for Arts &
Culture Grant.
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| 1989 |
The Hebrew Writers Publication Prize.
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| 1994 |
Israel Foreign Ministry travel grant
to Egypt.
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| 1994 |
The Israeli Academic Center in Cairo
Sponsorship.
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| 1995 |
The Tel-Aviv Foundation for Arts &
Culture Fellowship.
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| 1996 |
The BCLA (British Comparative Literature
Association) Publication Honor for 'Revelation'.
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| 1997 |
The Yaddo Artists Colony Fellowship.
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| 1998 |
The Tel-Aviv Foundation for Arts &
Culture Fellowship.
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| 1998 |
The NY Ledig House Fellowship.
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| 2000 |
The President of Israel Grant.
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| 2001 |
The Eshkol Fund Grant.
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| 2002 |
BI ARTS travel grant to Oxford,
UK |
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