Rivka Keren facts for kids

Rivka Keren in 2008

Rivka Keren (Hebrew: רבקה קרן; born in 1946) is a famous Israeli writer. She writes many types of books, including stories for children and teens, and novels for adults. Her books often explore important ideas like memory and identity.

About Rivka Keren

Rivka Keren was born in 1946 in a city called Debrecen in Hungary. Her birth name was Katalin Friedländer. In 1957, when she was 11 years old, she moved to Israel with her parents and younger brother. This move is called immigration.

Rivka started writing when she was a child. First, she wrote in Hungarian, which was her first language. Later, she began writing in Hebrew, the language of Israel.

She also studied many different subjects. She learned about painting in Jerusalem and New York City. She also studied philosophy, literature, and psychology at Bar Ilan University. She earned her master's degree in clinical psychology from Tel Aviv University.

Rivka Keren has had many interesting jobs. She worked as a librarian, helping people find books. She was also an art therapist, using art to help people with their feelings. And she worked as a clinical psychologist, helping people understand their minds. She has even shown her paintings in art shows in different countries.

Over the years, Rivka has published many books. These include books for young children, novels for teenagers, and stories for adults. Her work has been translated into several languages, like German, English, Spanish, Russian, and Hungarian. Some of her books have even been made into Braille for people who are blind or recorded on audio disks.

Rivka Keren is a member of several important groups for writers, like PEN. She is married and has two children.

What Rivka Keren Writes About

Rivka Keren has published many books, and more are coming soon. Her stories often explore big ideas. She writes about things like destiny (what is meant to happen) and memory (how we remember the past). She also looks at identity, which is about who we are.

Her books often explore the mystery of love and evil. She also writes about the challenges faced by immigrants. Her stories can be complex, with many layers of meaning. Her characters often face tough choices between good and bad, love and hate, or being calm and feeling confused. Rivka carefully looks at what her characters are thinking and feeling.

Her characters often search for a sense of belonging and their roots. Most of all, they are looking for truth and purpose in their lives. They go through difficult experiences to reach their goals.

Some of Rivka's novels are about the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a terrible time in history. Rivka Keren is a "second generation" survivor, meaning her parents survived the Holocaust. In these books, she shows the ongoing struggles of immigrants. She writes about their pain and feeling like outsiders. But she also shows how they can find a new home and succeed. Her novels help us understand human nature. They show the harm that evil and revenge can cause. But they also highlight the power of hope and love.

Books by Rivka Keren

• Outrage, a novel, published in 2010. (in Hebrew)
• Mortal Love, published in 2008. (in English)
• Tita and the Satan (Tita ve ha Satan) – a novel, published in 1995.
• Anatomy of a Revenge (Anatomia shel Nekama) – a novel, published in 1993.
• Mortal Love (Ahava Anusha) – a novel, published in 1992.
• The Taste of Honey (Ta'am ha Dvash) – a novel, published in 1990.
• Sad Summer, Happy Summer (Kaitz Atzuv, Kaitz Meushar) – a novel for teenagers, published in 1986.
• The Story of the Patriarchs (Sipurey ha Avot) – 4 books and audio tapes for young children, published in 1982.
• Nufar, the Story of a Seagull (Nufar, Sipura shel Schafit Yam) – a children's book, published in 1981.
• The Journey of the Dwarfs Tik and Tak (Hamasa shel Tik ve Tak) – a small children's book, published in 1980.
• Wild Lili (Lili Ha Prua) – a diary written as letters for teenagers, with pictures by the author, published in 1978.
• Kati, a Young Girl's Diary (Kati, Yomana shel Neara) – a biographical novel for teenagers, published in 1973.
• Ruthi Shmuti (Ruti Shmuti) – a novel and short stories for teenagers, published in 1970.

Books Translated into Other Languages

• Katalin – Ungarisches Tagebuch, translated into German, 1996 (Hardcover)
• Katalin, published in German, 1999 (Paperback)
• Bittersüßer Sommer, translated into German, 1999 (Hardcover)
• Bittersüßer Sommer, published in German, 2001 (Paperback)
• Anatomie einer Rache, translated into German, 2001 (Hardcover)
• Der Geschmack von Honig, translated into German, 2004 (Hardcover)
• Liebe wie der Tod, translated into German (planned)
• Mortal Love, translated into English by Yael Politis, 2009

Some Translated Short Stories

• "Aisha", translated from Hebrew by Maayan Keren, in the book "Pain and Memory", 2009.
• "Kiribiri", translated from Hebrew by Maayan Keren, in the book "Pain and Memory", 2009.
• "Islamorada", translated from Hebrew by Dalit Shmueli, in the book "Common Boundary", 2010.
• "They Set Sail in the Springtime", a part of the novel "Mortal Love", translated from Hebrew by Yael Politis, in the book "Common Boundary", 2010.
• "1939", a poem translated from Hebrew by Yael Politis, and "Farewell", a painting by Rivka Keren, in Autumnskypoetry, 2009.
• "Zipora", a part of the novel "Mortal Love", translated from Hebrew by Yael Politis, in the book "Puzzles of Faith and Patterns of Doubt", 2013.

Awards for Her Writing

Rivka Keren has won many awards for her books:

• 2000 – The Austrian Government Honorable Award for Youth & Children Literature, Austria
• 1995 – Kugel Prize for literature from the city of Holon, Israel
• 1986 – Zeev Award for Children Literature, Israel
• 1976 – Ramat-Gan Award for Literature, Israel
• 1975 – Lamdan Prize for Children and Youth Literature, Israel
• 1974 – Nordau Award for Literature, Israel
• 1972 – Keren Hayesod Award for Literature, Israel
• 1970 – Honorable Mention of the jury of the Yatziv Literary Award, Israel

See also

• Mortal Love (novel)

In Spanish: Rivka Keren para niños