Biografia
His father was a bank director. After finishing high school, Hoffmann began studying art history and sculpture in Budapest. During the Nazi occupation of Hungary, he was deported to Poland. He managed to escape and return to Hungary in an adventurous manner before the war ended in 1945. In 1949, he fled again, this time from Hungary to Israel. There, he initially lived in a kibbutz, where he learned the new language and started his literary career, with some works published in the daily press. After his time in the kibbutz, Kishon moved to Tel Aviv, continuing to write and run a cabaret.
In spring 1981, Kishon relocated to Switzerland, briefly residing in Appenzell canton, where he wrote his autobiography. His work primarily consists of satires that have been translated worldwide and have attracted millions of readers in Germany since the early 1960s. His notable satirical plays include "Der Blaumilchkanal" (1974) and "Es war die Lerche" (1977). Kishon also wrote scripts for popular radio and television plays, occasionally directing them. In 1992, his comedy "Kein Wort zu Morgenstern" premiered in St. Pölten under his direction. He wrote and directed the comedy series "Sarah and Ephraim – Kishon's Best Family Stories," which aired on the private channel Super-RTL in 1998. His other films include "Ervinka" and "Sleep Well, Sergeant."
Numerous film adaptations of his literary works exist. Politically, Kishon spoke out against anti-Israel campaigns and communism, addressing the latter in his 1990 work "Ingratitude is the World's Wages." In 1997, his satirical novel "My Comb" became an international bestseller. After his second wife, Sara Lipovitz, passed away in 2002, he married Austrian Lisa Witasek in 2003. Kishon had three children with Sara. Over his lifetime, he authored more than 50 books, translated into 37 languages. His writings have sold 43 million copies worldwide, with German editions accounting for 32 million.
The "Family Stories" are now regarded as the best-selling Hebrew book worldwide, second only to the Bible. Kishon received numerous awards, including the Order Against Animal Seriousness (1978), the Nobel Prize for Humor (1981), and the Karl Valentin Order (1984). In 1985, he was awarded the Golden Camera and later won three Golden Globes. A collection of political satires titled "Whoever Believes It Will Be Blessed" was published in 2000. In 2002, Israel honored him with the Israel Prize, the nation's highest accolade, recognizing his life's work. In summer 2004, on his 80th birthday, the German publisher Langen Müller released the anniversary edition "All Novels," compiling Kishon's prose works.
Ephraim Kishon passed away on January 29, 2005, in Appenzell and was buried in Tel Aviv.
