''1948'' (, ''Tasha"h'') is a 2010 fictionalized

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i writer

Yoram Kaniuk Yoram Kaniuk (; May 2, 1930 – June 8, 2013) was an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theatre critic. Biography Yoram Kaniuk was born in Tel Aviv. His father, , was the first curator of Tel Aviv Museum of Art and was born in Ternopi ...

. In 2012 it was translated into English by Anthony Berris.1948 by Yoram Kaniuk, translated from the Hebrew by Anthony Berris
/ref> It is based on author's teenage experience of a

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of th ...

fighter in the

Harel Brigade The 10th "Harel" Brigade (, ''Hativat Harel'') is a reserve infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, today part of the Southern Command. It played a critical role in the 1948 Palestine war. It is one of the former divisions of the Palmach ...

during the

1948 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. During the war, the British withdrew from Palestine, Zionist forces conquered territory and established the Stat ...

, known as the War of Independence in Israel. It was described as "the

coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or interna ...

that blurs the boundaries between heroism and futility, historical injustice and historical justice." This hard to read book does not attempt to give a historical narrative, rather the personal experiences of the war, sometimes against its official portrayal. For example, Kaniuk describes how they shot an Arab child after they found their fellow soldier hanged on a tree. Or another, an

anticlimactic The climax () or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension and drama, or it is the time when the action starts during which the solution is given. The climax of a story is a literary element. Anticlimax An anticlimax ...

episode when to a group of soldiers tired to death lying shivering of cold by a dead body came a Palmach " politruk" who told them about the establishment of the state of Israel, and forced them to dance. In 2011 it was adapted for stage at the

Haifa Theatre The Haifa Theatre (; ''Teat'ron Kheifa'') is the first municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel. Background Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi. Together with the support of the Haifa City ...

by .

Awards

Awards the book earned for the author include: *2011, the Sapir Prize for Literature. *2011: officer of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, Franceעיטור צרפתי יוקרתי הוענק ליורם קניוק על ספרו "תש"ח"
/ref>

References

{{reflist 2010 novels Hebrew-language novels 21st-century Israeli novels 1948 Arab–Israeli War Israeli historical novels Books about the Arab–Israeli conflict Autobiographical novels