Dan Tsalka facts for kids

Dan Tsalka

Dan Tsalka (1936-June 15, 2005) was an important writer from Israel. He wrote many books, including novels, essays, and even science fiction stories for young people. His stories often explored different places and ideas.

About Dan Tsalka

Dan Tsalka was born in 1936 in Warsaw, a big city in Poland. During World War II, his family had to leave their home. They moved far away to the Soviet Union, living first in Siberia and then in Kazakhstan.

When the war ended, Dan was ten years old. He and his family returned to Poland, settling in the city of Wrocław. He studied humanities at the university there. He also enjoyed boxing, which later inspired parts of his novel Gloves.

In 1957, Dan moved to Israel. This move was part of a large immigration wave. He changed his name from Mietek to Dan. His sister suggested the name while they were in a temporary camp in Yavne. After learning Hebrew at Kibbutz Hatzor, he joined the Israel Defense Forces. He served in the armored corps.

After his military service, he studied philosophy and history at Tel Aviv University. He also continued his studies in France. He lived for a time in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

In 1967, Dan Tsalka published his first novel, Dr. Barkel. He also worked as an editor for Masa, a literary section of a newspaper. He did other editing and translation work too.

In 2000, he traveled to Morocco with a friend. He wrote about this trip in his book Morocco: Travel Notes.

Dan Tsalka lived in Tel Aviv with his wife, Aviva. He passed away on June 15, 2005, at the age of 69, due to cancer.

Awards and Recognition

Dan Tsalka won many important awards for his writing in Israel. These awards show how much his work was valued:

• In 1976, he received the Brenner Prize.
• He won the Hayetzira Prize three times: in 1972, 1991, and 1997.
• In 1992, he received the Alterman Prize for his novel A Thousand Hearts.
• In 1994, he won the ACUM Prize for his books Clouds and Loose Pages Bound.
• In 2000, he received the ACUM Prize for his lifetime achievements in writing.
• In 2004, he was awarded the Sapir Prize for his book Tsalka's ABC.

Books by Dan Tsalka

Here are some of the books Dan Tsalka wrote:

• Dr. Barkel (1967)
• Philip Arbes (1977)
• The Third Voyage of the Aldebaran (1979)—This is a science fiction book written for young people.
• Gloves (1982)
• A Thousand Hearts (1991)
• On the Road to Aleppo: A Book of Stories (1999): This book contains some of his stories translated into English.
• The War Between the Children of the Earth and the Children of the Pit (1993): Another science fiction book for young readers.
• Clouds (1994)
• Loose Pages Bound (1993): This book is a collection of his essays.
• Morocco: Travel Notes (2001)
• Under the Sign of the Lotus (2002)
• Tsalka's ABC (2003): This book shares personal notes and memories from his life, arranged like a dictionary.

See also

In Spanish: Dan Tsalka para niños

• דן צלקה (Dan Tsalka) in the Hebrew-language Wikipedia.