Avital Inbar


Avital Inbar is an Israeli author, translator, journalist, and restaurant critic.

Biography

Avital Inbar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents, Mordechai Burstein, a native of the Kiev region and Rachel Shilensky, born in Kaunas, Lithuania, were intellectuals and polyglots. They spent much of their lives in France and were imbued in its culture.
From the age of thirteen to twenty-six he lived in France, including two years in Marseille, where he learned French, and two years in what was at the time French Algeria, which was in the midst of a war of independence. These intense, unmediated impressions still affect his perspective of the Jewish-Palestinian conflict and internal Israeli divisions.
In Paris, he graduated high school at the Alliance Gymnasium, where he studied philosophy from the famous Emmanuel Levinas. He then earned his degree at the Paris Institute of Political Sciences.
On his return to Israel in 1970, he served as a foreign correspondent for French media, among others, for the daily Combat, founded by Albert Camus.
Since 1976, Inbar has focused on literary translation and he had translated into Hebrew several major works of French literature, as well as some English titles. He traveled frequently to Paris to meet with publishers and writers and to choose titles for translation for Israeli publishers. He became friends with leading French figures, such as Marguerite Duras and Yves Montand. Altogether, he has translated some 120 titles.
In 1995, together with the French-Israeli businessman Jean Frydman, he founded the Yonatan Guides Ltd., which received a franchise from the French restaurant and hotel guide Gault Millau to produce a similar guide in Israel.
Since 1997, Inbar wrote nine experiential, hedonistic, travel books dedicated to France and its regions.
He also wrote Parisian Pictures, devoted mainly to his encounters with writers and artists in France and the complex relations between France, Israel and the Jews.
Since 2018 he has been focusing on Japanese Cuisine and in 2019 published Gourmand in Tokyo, dedicated to Japanese gastronomy.

Awards

For his literary work and the dissemination of French culture in Israel, he received two decorations from the French government ‒ officer in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and officer in the Ordre des Palmes académiques. On July 2019, Inbar was conferred French citizenship, for his contribution to the influence of France and the prosperity of international economic relations.

Published work

Books Published in Hebrew

Guide- Israel restaurant guides 1996 – 2003, Yonatan Guides Publisher, Tel Aviv
The Pleasures of France, A. Nir & Modan Publishers, Tel Aviv 1997, 410 pages
The Pleasures of Provence, A. Nir & Avital Inbar, Tel Aviv 2000, 448 pages
The Pleasures of Paris, Babel, Tel Aviv 2003, Keter, Jerusalem, 2005, 435 pages
The Pleasures of South-Western France, Keter, Jerusalem, 2005, 316 pages
The Pleasures of Bordeaux Wines, Keter, Jerusalem, 2005, 244 pages
Goose à la mode of Ashkenaze, recollections of Alsace, 2011, 192 pages
Parisian Images, digital, Mendele electronic books ltd, 2015
Alsace – Wine, food, Culture and Jewish Heritage, Shteinhart-Sharav, 2015. 208 pages
, Shteinhart-Sharav, 2017, 256 pages
The 50 Pleasures of Provence, digital, Mendele electronic books Ltd, 2017
, , digital, Mendele electronic books Ltd, 2019
Avital Inbar's work has been an inspiration to the book "50 Michelin Stars" by Tzalak, published in Israel in 2017. The author interviewed Mr. Inbar and used insights and relative information given by him, based on his vast experience in the French culinary scene.

Translations

, La vraie bataille d'Alger.
Romain Gary/Emile Ajar, La Vie devant soi Am Oved
Victor Hugo, 1978, Les Misérables, Keter.
Albert Cohen, Solal Am Oved.
Jean Cocteau, Les enfants terribles Zmora-Betan-Modan.

Patrick Modiano, La rue des boutiques obscures Am Oved.
Boris Vian, L'Arrache-Cœur Sifriat Poalim.
Boris Vian as Vernon Sullivan, J'irais cracher sur vos tombes Sifriat Poalim
Henri-Pierre Roché,, Jules et Jim, Keter.
Romain Gary/ Emile Ajar, Les Angoisses du roi Salomon Am Oved.
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, Asterix le Gaulois Dalia Peled.

André Gide, L'Immoraliste Massadah.
Denis Diderot, Jacques le Fataliste et son Maître Sifriat Poalim, +
Simone Signoret, La Nostalgie n'est plus ce qu'elle était Am Oved.
Jules Verne,, Les enfants du capitaine Grant Sifriat Poalim.
Gaston Leroux, Le mystère de la chamber jaune Sifriat Poalim.
Patrick Modiano, Une Jeunesse Zmora-Betan.
Boris Vian, L'herbe rouge Sifriat Poalim.
André Gide, La symphonie pastorale Keter.

André Neher, David Gans Ruben Mass.
Sébastien Japrisot, L'été meurtrier Maariv.
Henri Troyat, Gorki, Massadah.
Romain Gary, Vie et mort d'Emile Ajar Am Oved.
Romain Gary, Les Cerfs-Volants Am Oved.
Blaise Cendrars, La main coupée Misrad Habitahon.
Sebastien Japrisot, La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil Maariv.
Albert Cohen, Mangeclous, Sifriat Poalim.
Albert Cohen, Les Valeureux, Zmora-Betan-Modan.
André Gide, Les Caves du Vatican Am Oved.
Guy de Maupassant, Bel-Ami Maariv.
Guy de Maupassant, Boule de Suif Tarmil.
Albert Simonin, Touchez pas au Grisbi Zmora-Betan-Modan
Christiane Rochefort, Les stances à Sophie, Maariv.
Jules Verne, Voyage au centre de la Terre Maariv.
André Neher, Renée Neher Histoire biblique du people d’Israel Ruben Mass/
Jules Verne, Le tour du monde en 80 jours Maariv - A new translation Kinneret-Zmora.
Elisabeth Badinter, L'amour en plus Maariv.
Jules Verne, Cinq semaines en ballon Maariv.
Christiane Rochefort Le repos du guerrier Maariv.
Romain Gary, Clair de femme, Maariv.
Roland Dorgelès, Les Croix de bois Maariv.
Patrick Modiano, Villa triste Zmora-Betan-Modan.
Patrick Modiano, Dimanches d'Août Massadah.
Romain Gary, Education européenne Maariv.

Marguerite Duras, L'Amant Maariv.
Voltaire, Candide, ou l'optimisme – + Zadig, ou la destinée, Massadah.
Victor Hugo, Bug Jargal Maariv.
Simone Schwarz-Bart, Ti-Jean l'Horizon Shocken.
Raymond Queneau, Le dimanche de la vie Am Oved.
Jules Verne, Michael Strogoff Maariv.
Marcel Pagnol, Jean de Florette & Manon des Sources Massadah.
Marguerite Duras, La Douleur Maariv.
Françoise Dolto, Lorsque l'enfait parait, Maariv.
Andre Malraux, Les conquérants Massadah.
Romain Gary, Chien Blanc Maariv.
Romain Gary, Lady L Maariv.
Marguerite Yourcenar, L'œuvre au Noir Zmora-Betan-Modan.
Alexandre Dumas, Les Trois Mousquetaires Zmora-Betan-Modan.
Jean-Jacques Sempé, René Goscinny, Le petit Nicolas.
Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon amour Kibbutz Meuhad.
Marguerite Duras, Yeux bleus, Cheveux noirs Maariv.
Henri Troyat, Chekhov, Am Oved.
Pierre Benoit, L'Atlantide Kibutz Meuhad.
Jules Verne, Vingt mille lieues sous les mers Maariv.
Philippe Djian, 37.2 le matin , Maariv.
Tierno Monénembo, L'ainé des orphelins Maariv.
Georges Simenon, Le pendu de Saint-Pholien & Un noël de Maigret Kibutz meuhad.
Maryse Condé, Moi, Tituba, sorcière Noire Nahar.
Guy de Maupassant, Les Dimanches d'un bourgeois de Paris Nahar.
Raymond Radiguet, Le diable au corps Nahar.
Pierre Loti, Les Trois Dames de la Kasbah, Nahar.
Jean Giono, Colinne Even Hoshen.
Jean-Frederic Schaub, Les Juifs du Roi d'Espagne - Oran 1509-1669 Tel Aviv University Publishing.
Ousmane Sembène, Les bouts de bois de Dieu Ahuzat Bayit.

From English

, The War of the Worlds, Keter.
Graham Greene, Monsignor Quixote, Maariv.

Reviews

Benny Zipper, on "Les Croix de bois," Haaretz, September 6, 1985.
Yoram Bronowski, "The Wonder Child of the Enlightenment," Haaretz, November 23, 1980.
Kriel Gardosh, "The Gauls Are Coming," Maariv, March 7, 1980.
Hedda Bushes, "Pictures of Despair," "Reading Glasses," Haaretz, May 6, 1986.
Mordechai Avishai, "Women, Finance, Politics," Maariv, December 21, 1984
Shlomo Papirblatt, "The Lover, My Body, My Head," Yedioth Ahronoth, 1986.
Michael Handelszalz, "Under the French Flag," Haaretz, July 28, 1987.
Haim Pesach, "My Beloved Indo-China," at Camp, June 11, 1986.
Yaron London, "The Price of Sin," December 7, 1982.
Giselle Spiro, "A Village in Mid-Paris," Haaretz, Books, 1987.
Tamar Golan, "The Pain of the Other - Tolerable," Haaretz Books, June 15, 2006.
Lena Shiloni, "How to Succeed in the Press," Haaretz, May 29, 2008.
Oded Sverdlik, "A Tragic Meeting of Two Worlds," 1986.
Boaz Applebaum, "a memory thing."
Meir Schnitzer, "Blooming with a Head."
Shlomo Papirblat, "Jewish Words in French," Yedioth Ahronoth.
Mordechai Avishai, "Jewish Heroes between Realia and Grotesque," Maariv, 1983.
Dina Pladot, "Everything is written in the dictionary," Maariv.
Amira Segev, "A tranlator with royalties," Hasashoth, June 8, 1988.
Hannah Kim, "The French Connection - Five Israeli Creators Received the Order of Arts and Literature This Week," Culture and Literature, Yedioth Ahronoth.
Dalia Karpel, "No to Marcel Proust," Hair, December 13, 1985.
Ehud Ben Ezer, "The translator is the t Sucker of the Hebrew Book Industry - Conversation with Avital Inbar," Globes, February 10, 1989.