Yoav Avni (; born November 24, 1969) is a prominent Israeli author and translator. His books ''HaHamishit Shel Chong Levi'' (Chong Levi's Fifth) and ''Herzl Amar'' (Herzl Said) have earned him national recognition and both received the Geffen Award in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Biography

Yoav Avni was born November 24, 1969, in Givatayim, Israel. After finishing highschool, Avni joined the

Israeli Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

where he served in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and was later re-stationed in the

Artillery Corps Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

where he served as a lieutenant. After his military service, he travelled to the Far East. Avni holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in economics & management from

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

and a master's degree in communications from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

. He currently resides in Tel-Aviv.

Books

* Eize Metumtamim HaAmerikaim (Those Strange Americans) (1995) – His first book published in 1995. Excerpts were featured in the Israeli publication "Moznayim" and in various American Magazines. A digital version was publish in 2013. * Shlosha Dvarim l'Yi Boded (Three Things for a Desert Island) (2006) – Avni's second publication and his first novel which became a best-seller. A modern-day tale about a

high-tech High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or ...

employee who goes on a business trip to "Go-Ten-Gent" a fictitious island in the Indian Ocean. Nominated for a Geffen Award for best original book in 2007. * HaHamishit Shel Chong Levi (Chong Levi's Fifth) (2009) – His third book. Tells the story of a son to a Chinese foreign worker mother and a soccer fan father. The book won the Geffen Award for best original book in 2010. * Herzl Amar (Herzl Said) (2011) – Avni's fourth book. A fictional premise where the "

Uganda Scheme The Uganda Scheme was a proposal by British colonial secretary Joseph Chamberlain to create a Jewish homeland in a portion of British East Africa. It was presented at the Sixth World Zionist Congress in Basel in 1903 by Theodor Herzl, the foun ...

" was carried out and the state of

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 ...

was established in East Africa. Won the Geffen Award for best original book in the science fiction and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

category in 2012. * Lahatzot Nahar Paamyim (To Cross a River Twice) (2016) – Avni's fifth book. The novel takes place on an especially rainy winter when a

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

creature emerges from the

Yarkon River The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River (, ''Nahal HaYarkon''; , ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Antipatris), north of Petah Tikva. It flows west throu ...

. * Kesheha-ʻolam hithapekh (When the World Flipped) (2022) - Avni's sixth book. Rotem, a young and sensitive boy moves from the big city to the country side home of his father where he and his parents spend their summer vacation. * She'onei Nohehut (Time Clocks) (2024) Avni's seventh book. When Boaz is fired from his job, where he spent his time developing an advanced AI system, he is faced with a frightening and uncertain future.

Hebrew translations

In 2010, Avni translated

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the workin ...

's book, '' The Water Babies''. In 2013, his renewed translation for

Richard Adams Richard George Adams (10 May 1920 – 24 December 2016) was an English novelist. He is best known for his debut novel ''Watership Down'' which achieved international acclaim. His other works included ''Maia'', '' Shardik'' and '' The Plague Do ...

' book ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natur ...

'' was published and in 2014 he translated

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur in British Ind ...

's ''

My Family and Other Animals ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an autobiography, autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and wid ...

''. In 2016, he published a renewed translation for Mary Norton's ''

The Borrowers ''The Borrowers'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author Mary Norton, published by Dent in 1952. It features a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in ...

''.

References

External links

Yoav Avni – Official Website

Yoav Avni – Wordpress Blog

Yoav Avni on

Ynet Ynet (stylized in all lowercase) is an Israeli news and general-content website, and the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronoth'' newspaper. History Ynet launched on June 6, 2000, in Hebrew, following other Hebrew outlet's website launches ...

חינני פלוס: יואב אבני לא מעמיק
Yoav Avni on

nrg Maariv ''Maariv'' () is a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Israel. From Sunday to Thursday, it is printed under the ''Ma'ariv Hashavu'a'' () brand, while the weekend edition that is out on Friday is called ''Ma'ariv SofHashavu'a'' (). ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avni, Yoav 1969 births People from Givatayim Israeli novelists Israeli speculative fiction writers Clark University alumni Modern Hebrew writers 20th-century Israeli novelists 21st-century novelists Israeli translators Living people