Sunday, January 31, 2010

Rivka Redux - in case you missed the story

Acclaimed author Rivka Keren contributed two stories to Pain and Memory, and if you missed the article about her and her beautiful and haunting story "Aisha" (the lead story in the book), here it is, from Ynet News (Israel - with link at end of this post):


Israeli author up for Pushcart Prize: Rivka Keren's short story nominated for prestigious US award for small presses. A short story by Israeli author Rivka Keren has been nominated for this year's Pushcart Prize in the United States. The prestigious prize has been awarded annually since 1976 and winning pieces are gathered into a yearly anthology. The nominated story, Aisha, has been published as part of Pain and Memory, a short story collection by Editions Bibliotekos."It feels great to be nominated, especially as it was translated by my daughter," Keren told Ynetnews Saturday. "I don't know what the odds of winning are, especially as the story is translated, but I have great faith in it." Keren, who writes in Hebrew, said she is saddened that "Aisha" was first published in English, after no Israeli publishers or journals were interested in running it." I have been trying unsuccessfully to publish the story in Hebrew for long months," she said. "It is strange for it to appear first in English." The Hungarian-born Keren immigrated to Israel in 1957 and has published 14 books so far. Her most acclaimed work, Taste of Honey, was a bestseller in Israel. Originally a children's book author, one of her earlier books became part of the local elementary school curriculum. Keren's work has been translated into several languages, including English, German, and Spanish. A second generation to Holocaust survivors, she has explored the Shoah in her writing, as well as themes such destiny and memory.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3818771,00.html