A. B. Yehoshua

A. B. Yehoshua was born in 1936 in Jerusalem

Avraham Gabriel Yehoshua, known as Boolie, was born in Jerusalem in 1936 to a Sephardi family with roots in Salonika. His father Yaakov wrote about the history of Jerusalem. His mother Malka Rosilio was born in Mogador, Morocco, and came to Jerusalem in 1932.

He graduated from Gymnasia Rehavia and was active in the Scouts. After his army service he studied literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He served as a paratrooper from 1954 to 1957 and fought in the 1956 Sinai War. He began publishing fiction after his discharge, and his first story collection came out in 1962.

He lived and taught in Paris for several years and served as General Secretary of the World Union of Jewish Students. From 1972 he taught Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of Haifa as a full professor. His novels include Mr Mani and Friendly Fire, and his works were translated in 28 countries.

He was active in the peace movement and attended the signing of the Geneva Accord. He was married to Rivka, a psychoanalyst, until her death in 2016. He died of cancer on June 14, 2022.