Aharon Appelfeld facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aharon Appelfeld
Appelfeld at a conference in Espace culturel Cité, Luxembourg City, 2014.
Born	(1932-02-16)February 16, 1932 Jadova, Romania (now Ukraine)
Died	January 4, 2018(2018-01-04) (aged 85) Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupation	Novelist
Language	Hebrew
Citizenship	Israeli
Alma mater	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Notable awards	Bialik Prize Israel Prize National Jewish Book Award Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Prix Médicis Nelly Sachs Prize

Aharon Appelfeld (Hebrew: אהרן אפלפלד; born Ervin Appelfeld; February 16, 1932 – January 4, 2018) was an Israeli novelist. He was also a Holocaust survivor. His stories often explored the lives of Jewish people in Europe before, during, and after World War II.

His Early Life and Journey

Aharon Appelfeld was born Ervin Appelfeld in 1932. His hometown was Jadova, in what was then Romania. Today, this area is part of Ukraine. He remembered his childhood town as a beautiful place. Many Jewish people lived there.

Surviving World War II

In 1941, when Aharon was nine years old, his life changed forever. His mother was killed, and he and his father were sent to a forced labor camp. This was during World War II. Aharon managed to escape the camp. He hid for three years, trying to survive on his own. Later, he joined the Soviet army as a cook.

After the war ended, Aharon spent some time in a camp for people who had lost their homes. In 1946, he moved to Palestine. This was two years before Israel became an independent country.

A Family Reunion

Aharon believed his father had also died during the war. But in 1960, he found his father's name on a list. They were reunited after nearly 20 years apart. Both had survived the war and made their way to Israel. This reunion was so emotional that Aharon never wrote about it in his books.

Learning and Writing in Israel

In Israel, Aharon Appelfeld learned Hebrew. This was a new language for him, as his first language was German. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He started writing short stories and then moved on to novels. He became one of Israel's most important Hebrew-language authors. He also taught literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

His Writing Style and Themes

Aharon Appelfeld wrote many books. Most of his stories were about Jewish life in Europe. He focused on the time before, during, and after World War II.

Why He Chose Hebrew

Even though German was his first language, Aharon chose to write in Hebrew. He knew many languages, including Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Russian. But he felt he could not write about the Holocaust in German. He chose Hebrew because it is a very precise language. He felt it helped him write clearly and powerfully. He said Hebrew sentences are "very concise and autonomic."

The Holocaust in His Stories

Many people who survived the Holocaust wrote about their experiences directly. Aharon Appelfeld took a different approach. He often wrote short stories that used metaphors. This means his stories had deeper, hidden meanings. He would sometimes hint at the Holocaust without describing it directly. His writing style was clear and modern.

Important Ideas in His Books

Aharon Appelfeld's stories often explored themes like silence and feeling lost. Because he was separated from his family at a young age, the search for a mother figure was also important in his work. A famous writer, Philip Roth, said Appelfeld wrote about feeling "displaced and disoriented."

Awards and Honors

Aharon Appelfeld received many important awards for his writing. These include:

• 1975 Brenner Prize
• 1979 Bialik Prize
• 1983 Israel Prize
• 1989 National Jewish Book Award for Badenheim 1939 and The Immortal Bartfuss
• 1997 Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 1998 National Jewish Book Award for The Iron Tracks
• 2004 Prix Médicis for his autobiography, The Story of a Life: A Memoir
• 2011 National Jewish Book Award for Until the Dawn’s Light
• 2012 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for Blooms of Darkness
• 2016 Sydney Taylor Book Award for the children's book Adam and Thomas

Published Works

See Also

In Spanish: Aharon Appelfeld para niños

• Hebrew literature
• List of Bialik Prize recipients
• List of Israel Prize recipients