Hanoch Bartov
Encyclopedia
Hanoch Bartov is an Israeli author and journalist.
in 1926, a year after his parents immigrated from Poland. He attended a religious school and then the Ahad Haam
gymnasium
. After working in diamond polishing and welding for two years, he enlisted in 1943, at the age of 17, in the Palestine Regiment
of the British Army
. He spent three years in the Jewish Brigade
, first in Palestine and then in Italy
and the Netherlands
, where he served as a medic, caring for Holocaust survivors in DP camps.
After World War II
, Bartov studied Jewish and general history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. During the War of Independence
he served in field army units and the Israel Defense Forces
in Jerusalem. He lived for four years on Kibbutz
Ein Hahoresh
, working as a farmhand and a teacher. From 1966 to 1968, Bartov served as a cultural advisor in the Israeli embassy in London.
Today Bartov lives in a suburb of Tel Aviv
.
In his writing, as a journalist and novelist, Bartov describes his first contacts with survivors of the Holocaust. The Brigade is a fictionalized account of the operation of the Jewish Brigade.
Biography
Hanoch Helfgott (Bartov) was born in Petah TikvaPetah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
in 1926, a year after his parents immigrated from Poland. He attended a religious school and then the Ahad Haam
Asher Ginsberg
Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg , primarily known by his Hebrew name and pen name, Ahad Ha'am, , was a Hebrew essayist, and one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers. He is known as the founder of Cultural Zionism. With his secular vision of a Jewish "spiritual center" in Palestine he confronted...
gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. After working in diamond polishing and welding for two years, he enlisted in 1943, at the age of 17, in the Palestine Regiment
Palestine Regiment
The Palestine Regiment was a regiment of the British Army that was formed in 1942. During World War II, the regiment was deployed to Egypt and Cyrenaica, but most of their work consisted of guard duty....
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He spent three years in the Jewish Brigade
Jewish Brigade
The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group was a military formation of the British Army that served in Europe during the Second World War. The brigade was formed in late 1944, and its personnel fought the Germans in Italy...
, first in Palestine and then in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where he served as a medic, caring for Holocaust survivors in DP camps.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bartov studied Jewish and general history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. During the War of Independence
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
he served in field army units and the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
in Jerusalem. He lived for four years on Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Ein Hahoresh
Ein HaHoresh
Ein HaHoresh is a kibbutz in central Israel within the jurisdiction of the Hefer Valley Regional Council.It was founded in November of 1931 by Hashomer Hatzair members from Eastern Europe who reclaimed the land...
, working as a farmhand and a teacher. From 1966 to 1968, Bartov served as a cultural advisor in the Israeli embassy in London.
Today Bartov lives in a suburb of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Literary career
Bartov published his first story in 1945, when he was a 19-year old soldier in Europe.In his writing, as a journalist and novelist, Bartov describes his first contacts with survivors of the Holocaust. The Brigade is a fictionalized account of the operation of the Jewish Brigade.
Awards
Among the various prizes received by Bartov for his work are the following:- In 1985, the Bialik PrizeBialik PrizeThe Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...
for literature; - In 2006, the Agnon Prize;
- In 2010, the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for literature.
Books published in English
- The Brigade (1967), translation of Pitzei Bagrut (1965)
- Everyone Had Six Wings (1974), translation of Shesh Kenafaim Le-Echad (1954)
- An Israeli at the Court of St. James (1971), translation of Arba Yisraelim Be-Hatzer Saint James (1969)
- Whose Little Boy Are You? (1978), translation of Shel Mi Ata Yeled (1970)
- Dado, 48 years 20 days (1981), translation of DadoDavid ElazarDavid "Dado" Elazar was the ninth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, serving in that capacity from 1972 to 1974. He was forced to resign in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War.-Early life:...
, 48 Shanim Ve-Od 20 Yom (1978). Note: An updated and expanded edition of this book was published in Hebrew in 2002 but has not yet been translated to English.