Dan Tsalka

Dan Tsalka was an Israeli writer and translator who won the Sapir Prize in 2004.

1936 to 2005The novel A Thousand HeartsTsalka's ABCLiterary editing and translation

Born: 19 March 1936, Warsaw
Died: 15 June 2005, Tel Aviv
Occupation: writer, science fiction writer, children's writer
Education: International Writing Program

Dan Tsalka was born in 1936 in Warsaw

Dan Tsalka was born in Warsaw in 1936. During World War II his family fled to the Soviet Union and lived in Siberia and later Kazakhstan. After the war they returned to Poland and settled in Wrocław.

He studied humanities at the university in Wrocław and also boxed, a subject he later used in his novel Gloves. In 1957 he moved to Israel and changed his name from Mietek to Dan. He learned Hebrew at Kibbutz Hatzor.

After serving in the armored corps, he studied philosophy and history at Tel Aviv University. He continued his studies in France and lived for a time in the Netherlands, Britain and Italy.

His first novel, Dr. Barkel, came out in 1967. He edited Masa, the literary supplement of Lemerkhav, and later was a subeditor of the journal Siman Kria. He also translated and taught creative writing at Ben-Gurion University.

In 2000 he traveled in Morocco and wrote a travel book about it. He lived in Tel Aviv with his wife Aviva and died of cancer in 2005.