On Sarig

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On Sarig (Hebrew : און שׂריג) is one of several pen names of Shraga Gafni (Hebrew : שרגא גפני; June 22, 1926 – January 19, 2012), an Israeli author of children's books. Under this name, Gafni wrote the "Danidin" series, one of the most popular children book series in Israel, chronicling the fictional adventures of an invisible child. [1]

Hebrew language Semitic language native to Israel

Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language native to Israel; the modern version of which is spoken by over 9 million people worldwide. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors, although the language was not referred to by the name Hebrew in the Tanakh. The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date from the 10th century BCE. Hebrew belongs to the West Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Hebrew is the only living Canaanite language left, and the only truly successful example of a revived dead language.

A pen name is a pseudonym adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their "real" name. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise their gender, to distance an author from some or all of their previous works, to protect the author from retribution for their writings, to combine more than one author into a single author, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic presentation of the work. The author's name may be known only to the publisher or may come to be common knowledge.

Israel country in the Middle East

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's economic and technological center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem has only partial recognition.

Contents

Bibliography

The Danidin Series

Twenty nine books in the Danidin series have been published under the On Sarig name, beginning in 1961 with "The adventures of Dani, who can see but not be seen". The last book published was "Danidin in the Jungle" (2001). In the series, young Dani becomes invisible after drinking a purple liquid. In many of the series' books he fights against Arab enemies, and always wins.

Invisibility state of an object that cannot be seen

Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible. The term is often used in fantasy/science fiction, where objects cannot be seen by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be demonstrated in the real world, particularly in physics and perceptual psychology classes.

Newer series

In 1999, Gafni published two additional children's adventure book series under the On Sarig name. The first series is "Tzviki Matzhiki". Two books have appeared in this series ("Tzviki Matzhiki and his Wonderful Adventures", "Tzviki Matzhiki in a Joke Competition"). The series is about a child who enters the virtual world of his favorite television program with his shape-changing robot. The second series is "Gili Gol HaKol Yachol" (Gili Gol Can Do Anything), about a boy who discovers that he has astounding magic powers. Two books in the series have been published by M. Mizrahi. [2]

Controversy

The Danidin series has been cited as an example of "hate literature", which promotes anti-Arab stereotypes in Israeli children's literature. [3] [4]

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References

  1. Dani Din
  2. Hebrew SF and Fantasy from the Bible to the 90s
  3. Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict, Daniel Bar-Tal & Yona Teichman, Tel-Aviv University, p.192
  4. "The Adventures of Oz Yaus, Tzuptzik and Danidin", Tamar Meroz, Ha'aretz, 20 September 1974, Weekly Supplement.