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Thursday, August 18, 2005
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Israel’s own Agatha Christie
Literature filled with murder and intrigue didn’t only come from the pen of
Agatha Christie; Israel’s own Batya Gur is credited with bringing mystery
novels to unprecedented popularity in Israel.
An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been translated into 13
languages. Gur succumbed to cancer at the age of 57, but her legacy will live on
through her extraordinary work. “Batya was an intellectual, a dedicated teacher
and loving mother who suffered through the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, yet
never gave up hope,” her translator, Helen Seidler, told israel today.
The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Gur earned a Master’s degree in Hebrew
Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition to writing
books, she worked for many years as the literary critic for the Israeli daily
Ha’aretz.
Her mysteries translated into English include Murder Duet, The
Saturday Morning Murder, A Literary Murder, and Murder on a
Kibbutz. Gur is survived by her husband and three children.
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