Yaniv Iczkovits (
Hebrew: יניב איצקוביץ' born May 2, 1975) is an Israeli writer known for his novels, essays and philosophical work. His 2015 fantasy-historical adventure novel The Slaughterman's Daughter, with an unlikely assortment of Jewish characters on a quest in late 19th century Czarist Russia, has been translated into several European languages and gained critical acclaim.
He taught for eight years at the
University of Tel Aviv's Philosophy Department. After receiving his PhD, he went on to pursue
postdoctoral research at
Columbia University in New York City,[5] where he adapted his doctoral dissertation into the book Wittgenstein's Ethical Thought.[6]
In 2002, after a stint of reservist service in
Gaza during the
Second Intifada, Iczkovits, together with social activist
David Zonsheine [
he], initiated the "Combatants' Letter," in which they declared their refusal to serve in the territories of
Judea,
Samaria and the Gaza Strip. An initial 51 soldiers and officers signed the letter, which was published as an advertisement in the mass-circulation daily newspaper Haaretz. This launched the movement known as Ometz LeSarev (Hebrew: "Courage to refuse"). Some six hundred Israeli soldiers affirmed their refusal to serve in the
occupied territories. Iczkovits spent a month in military prison for refusing to go on additional reserve service in the territories.[7]
2015 – Funding from the Ministry of Culture and Sport's People of the Book award for translation of Hebrew literature into foreign languages, for The Slaughterman's Daughter"[11]
2016 – The Ramat Gan Prize for Literature awarded for "literary excellence in the original novel category" for The Slaughterman's Daughter[12]
Convicts and Heroes: Wittgensteinian Afterthoughts on Uri Barabash's 'In Clean Conscience' and 'Double Alpha'. Article published by The Free Library, 2017[22]
in Italian: Tikkun o la vendetta di Mende Speismann per mano della sorella Fanny, 2018,
Neri Pozza Editore [
it],
ISBN8854515965; translated by Ofra Bannet and Raffaella Scardi[26]
in English (U.K. edition): The Slaughterman's Daughter: The Avenging of Mende Speissman by the Hand of her Sister Fanny, 2020,
MacLehose Press,
ISBN0857058274; translated by Orr Scharf[26]
in English (U.S. edition): The Slaughterman's Daughter: A novel, Feb. 23, 2021,
Schocken Books,
ISBN9780805243659; translated by Orr Scharf[27]