Miriam Shlesinger, a prominent writer who brought the works of Israeli writers like Etgar Keret and Sayed Kashua to English audiences, has died.
A professor at Bar Ilan University in Israel, she also served as Chair of the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, as well as the director of its Language Policy Research Center.
Her translations include Keret’s The Nimrod Flipout, Suddenly a Knock on the Door and The Girl on the Fridge, as well as Kashua’s Dancing Arabs and his more recent, Let It Be Morning.
“My English isn’t good enough to describe my feeling for this amazing and special human being. I think my Hebrew isn’t good enough either,” Keret, who was also a friend, wrote on his Facebook page, which he updated before going to the funeral. “This almost paradoxical combination of talent and generosity, knowledge and creativity topped with an infinite amount of pure kindness were unique. If I ever needed a presenter to promote this very controversial product called ‘humanity’, it would be Miriam. She is hardly gone and I already miss her.”
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