Yishai Sarid was born in Tel Aviv in 1965. He studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and public administration at Harvard University, worked as a public prosecutor and is now a lawyer.
His writing career began in 2000 with the publication of »Teref Kal« (Eng. »The Investigation of Captain Erez«), a thriller about the investigation into the case of a young woman from an underprivileged background who accuses a respected officer of raping her. Beginning with his second novel »Limassol« (2009), about a secret service agent who tries to get close to a terminally ill poet in Gaza and his son, who is suspected of terrorism, almost all of his works have also been translated into German. He uses unusual characters to depict the problems and complexity of Israeli society.
»Gan Naomi« (2013; Eng. »Naomi’s Kindergarten«) tells the story of a passionate kindergarten teacher whose workplace is threatened with eviction and demolition by a luxury investor. »Mifletzet HaSikaron« (2017; Eng. »The Memory Monster«) gives voice to a historian who works as a tour guide at Nazi memorials. Structured as a report in which the narrator tries to explain a violent incident during a tour, the novel asks how we deal with the memory of the Holocaust, the connection between the Jews of that time and the Israelis of today, and what turns people into murderers.
The protagonist of »Menatzachat« (2020; Eng. »Victorious«) is Abigail, who works as a psychologist for the military. When her son is called up for military service, her professional convictions are put to the test. »Megale HaChulschot« (2023; Eng. »Vulnerabilities«) is the author’s most recent work. The book ia a political thriller about a young hacker who works for an Israeli cyber company. »Sarid’s books are incomparable: absorbing, unsettling, cold«, according to »Welt am Sonntag«. In addition to his literary work, Yishai Sarid also writes journalistic articles.
He lives in Tel Aviv.
Status: April 2024