Last update - 00:00 06/08/2007
Literary imagination makes for great PR
For the past three years Israeli literature has been flourishing abroad and enjoying rather good public relations. Writers have traveled and returned, won prizes and had their works translated into many languages. One of the people most responsible for this is Dan Orian, who until last week served as the head of the literature department at the division for cultural and scientific affairs (DCSA) at the Foreign Ministry. Upon completing his service in that position, he has taken up his new assignment as consul at the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.
Cooperation between Israeli writers and the Foreign Ministry is based on mutual interest: The writers and poets seek maximum exposure for their work abroad and the Foreign Ministry wants to use them to present Israel's attractive, sane face.
"There are marvelous writers here who also know how to speak and have something to say, and it seems perfectly fine to me that their political views differ from Israel's official position," says Orian.
"There is no doubt that David Grossman or Sami Michael is far to the left on the political map. The message that gets transmitted is that we are a pluralistic country and everyone is entitled to express his opinion. Amos Oz comes to an event to launch 'A Tale of Love and Darkness' in Greece, and 1,500 people show up for it," Orian offers as an example. "Yehudit Rotem, Aharon Appel-feld, Ronny Someck - appear abroad and arouse incredible resonance. These are things that remain in the end."
Orian sees Israeli literature as part of Israel's public relations effort. "Culture is a wonderful means for helping the cart run smoothly.: Orian will be replaced in two months by Sylvia Berladski, and many people hope she will continue the department's momentum.
Orian, 41, married and the father of three, was born and raised in Jerusalem. In the army he served in intelligence and then majored in Slavic studies at Hebrew University. For five years he served as cultural attache in Moscow and three years ago he landed at the DCSA, which is considered the least prestigious link at the Foreign Ministry.
"Initially I didn't want the position," he says. "I wanted a diplomatic post, but in retrospect it turns out that the position is not only important but also has maximum influence. When you go to talk to someone about the future of the Gaza Strip or the route of the [separation] fence, what's in his mind about Israel is very important. And sometimes, if he has read the latest translation of Appelfeld or Grossman, or has been to an [Israel] Philharmonic concert or a Gesher Theater performance, the conversation turns out completely differently."
The literature department at the DCSA operates in several channels: It funds in part or in full trips abroad by Israeli writers and poets, usually after a book of theirs has been translated; it helps host visiting writers and gives financial aid for translating works into other languages.
Certain writers travel a lot, it seems, and others do not. How does the ministry choose which writers to help?
"We usually send writers in the wake of a book of theirs coming out in a foreign language," says Orian. "Often an application comes to us from a publisher abroad, a festival or a book fair that wants to invite certain writers. I am sure that we have had some misses.
"Sometimes there are special projects," Orian adds. "For example, we sent three woman writers to Book Week in Singapore: Savyon Liebrecht, Noga Algom and Alona Frankel. Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, a delegation of Israeli authors goes to the United States. This autumn Michal Govrin and Sami Michael will go. Michael will be honored by a large event at Stanford."
To what extent does the literature exported by the Foreign Ministry have to fall in line with the political consensus here?
"The idea is to show that Israel is much more than the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians over a piece of land. When Zeruya Shalev goes to Germany, people stand outside the auditorium to hear her. We are perceived as aggressive, as imposing closures on the territories, and suddenly an author appears who talks about relations within the family and her writing is very non-political. This can change the entire perception of Israeli society.
"Two months ago Sami Michael appeared in Romania, the following day this was covered in the press, and 5,000 copies of 'A Trumpet in the Wadi' were sold within a few days. Agi Mishol appears in the United States, and Raquel Chalfi has been published in 'American Jewish Poetry.' We have between 50 and 100 writers and poets who are conducting a dialogue with the world."
And with all this, the budget for the literature department at the DCSA is quite small: a few hundred thousand shekels a year. "We send out an average of 120 writers a year and we usually pay for their plane ticket," says Orian. "Their lodging expenses are paid for by their publisher abroad. With an addition of $200,000, it would be possible to send another 50 writers abroad to translate another 100 books, and this is a significant difference."
He adds: "We give support for the translation of Israeli literature into foreign languages, about $2,000 per translation. In this matter we also apply to businesspeople who have an interest in contributing to the effort. This year, for example, we succeeded in raising $13,000 thanks to which seven Israeli books were translated into Polish. We have a joint project with the Haifa publisher Abbasi to translate Israeli books into Arabic. Abbasi has published Amos Oz, David Grossman and Ruth Almog in Arabic."
One of the projects that Orian nurtured is "Peoples of the World Inscribe the Bible," in which citizens of countries around the world write a chapter of the Hebrew Bible in their own languages and handwriting. The project, which was initiated by the Bible Valley NGO, headed by Amos Rolnik, operates in 20 countries, and the first six books (including books from Singapore and Taiwan) will be arriving here soon. They will be displayed at the Bible House to be built in the Adullam region near Jerusalem.
Another initiative was an exhibition of illustrations from Israeli children's books that has been displayed at book fairs around the world. Sixteen large posters with colorful illustrations by Liora Grossman, Alona Frankel, Ora Eitan, Yossi Abolafia, Naama Benziman, David Polonsky, Rutu Modan, Batia Kolton and others were hung in the Israeli pavilions. "Just the sight of the huge posters attracted attention to our children's books," says Orian, who has recently written a children's book due to be published by Korim Publishers.
What are your plans for the future?
"I don't rule out the possibility of coming back to the DCSA," he says. "But I do want to get a diplomatic post in the future and maybe head an Israeli legation."