Remembering A.B. Yehoshua (1936-2022)

‘[Yehoshua] combines uniqueness and universality and reminds us irresistibly of the joy of reading.’

-John Carey

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our author and friend A.B. Yehoshua in Tel Aviv on Tuesday 14 June after a long illness.

A prolific and internationally recognised author, he wrote deeply humane, and often very humorous, novels. He was firmly rooted in Israel and even when set abroad his novels reflected on the ongoing reality in Israel. As one obituary recently observed: “His subject was Israel.”

He was a fiery speaker, and often provocative, especially when discussing Jews living within Israel vs Jews in the diaspora. He was politically engaged and was always a supporter of the two-state solution, until he came to the sad conclusion recently that this would no longer be possible and a bi-national state – where Jews and Palestinians would live together – had to be envisaged. At the heart of it, he was against the occupation and wanted Palestinians to have full and equal rights.

 The Only Daughter, his latest novel, was published on 7 July 2022.

To see the range, influence and impact of Yehoshua’s life and work, read the numerous tributes, articles, obituaries and profiles listed below:

The Jewish Review of Books, “A. B. Yehoshua […]was one of the most fascinating writers of the past several decades.”
The Jewish Chronicle, “Those who knew him describe a tireless, insatiable curiosity about everything, from historic buildings to other peoples’ customs and family histories.”
The Times, “His books were translated into 28 languages and Yehoshua was shortlisted for the first Man Booker International Prize in 2005.”
Fania Oz Salzberger, Moment, “For Yehoshua, a good story or novel must have a moral backbone…"
David Grossman, Literary Hub, “He was able to show us the how ‘grand’ history seeps into the soul of the individual, at times bursting forth from within.”
The Telegraph, “Yehoshua remained, above all, attuned to the Israeli society of which he was a part”
The Guardian, “AB Yehoshua […] helped project modern Hebrew literature on to the international scene.” (See print edition here.)
The Jewish Chronicle, “undoubtedly one of Israel’s greatest writers”
The New York Times, “the Israeli novelist who […] planted his nation on the map of world literature”
The Los Angeles Times, “celebrated for his mastery of the Hebrew language”
Washington Post, ““Yehoshua was a leading voice of the Israeli peace camp”
Haaretz (Obituary), “A.B. Yehoshua, among Israel's most esteemed writers, was also a political activist”
Haaretz (Editorial), “a literary giant of his generation”
The Jewish Voice, “his work was translated into 28 languages.”
Tablet Magazine (USA), “Today, the world is mourning a brilliant author and prominent internal critic of Israel.”
JNS, “My last cup of coffee with A.B. Yehoshua”
Times of Israel, “Yehoshua’s work was structurally innovative and narratively traditional.”
Haaretz, review of Yehoshua’s last Hebrew play, ‘The Third Temple’: “Almost all the stories published by Yehoshua in his younger years deal with the conflict between older people and the young.”