Levin, Hanoch (1943–1999)

Levin, Hanoch is an Israeli playwright and short story writer. Born in the southern quarters of Tel Aviv to lower middle-class Polish immigrants Levin’s background has provided the inspiration for many of his plays and stories. Until the advent of Levin’s unique voice Israeli drama had been devoted almost entirely to the reality of life in the country. Levin’s work scorned all the accepted social dogma and resisted all ideology, while still referring to the Jewish diaspora past and life in present-day Israel. His plays can be divided loosely into three categories: satire, usually in the form of cabarets, grotesque domestic comedies, and elaborate dramas presenting universal messages based on myth, biblical stories and world literature.