Meir Shalev

(1948 - )

Meir Shalev is an Israeli author whose books have been published in 26 languages.

Shalev (born July 29, 1948) was born in Nahalal, Israel, the son of poet Itzhak Shalev. He grew up in an agricultural cooperative and then moved to Jerusalem., where he lives today. He studied Psychology at the Hebrew University.

Shalev began his career producing and hosting several radio and television programs. His first novel, The Blue Mountain, was published in 1988. He is a regular columnist in the Israeli press and writes essays and fiction for both children and adults.

In 2005, Shalev was voted the 42nd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.

Sources: Copyright The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature. Reprinted by kind permission of The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature, Ramat Gan Israel. The Institute web site contains biographies of 300 Israeli authors.