Nissim Aloni Archive

About Nissim Aloni

Nissim Aloni (Tel Aviv, 1926-1998 was one of the most outstanding and original Israeli playwrights. His plays are notable for their visual richness, sharp social commentary and existentialism, and earned him widespread recognition both in Israel and abroad. The plays were staged in all the major theaters in Israel, reaching a wide audience, despite their complexity and innovative characters. Aloni was the recipient of the Israel Prize for Theater in 1996. In the archives are manuscripts, many translations, diaries and articles about his works.

Archive History

The idea to have the archive began at the initiative of Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Mordechai from the Department of Hebrew Literature, but the first attempts to approach Nissim Aloni's brother, the retired judge Shaul Aloni z"l – were not fruitful and did not continue. On January 12th, 2005 Dr. Zehava Caspi organized a conference at BGU dedicated to the works of Nissim Aloni under the heading "Pain, Suffering, and Fireworks" – a study of the plays of Nissim Aloni." Shaul Aloni was invited to deliver a speech at the conference and to speak of their childhood in south Tel-Aviv.

Due to illness he was unable to attend, but his contact with Dr. Caspi continued. They met a number of times and during their meetings the subject of moving the Aloni archive to BGU was mentioned many times, to which he responded positively. When Yitzhak Ben-Mordechai's book "Ladies and Gentleman and Ladies: Studies in the Plays of Nissim Aloni" was published, Dr. Caspi organized an evening to celebrate its publication and Shaul Aloni was again invited to participate, to make up for missing the conference. On the same successful evening, Shaul Aloni announced that his brother's archive would be moved to BGU. Since then, more time passed, during which Dr. Caspi and Shaul Aloni conducted a routine dialogue until the mission was completed. To our sorrow, Shaul Aloni has since passed away and did not see the archive established at BGU, but it is important for us to acknowledge his generous agreement to donate Nissim Aloni's archive.

What's in the Archive?

The archive contains the original manuscripts of plays, in various editions and printings (together with Nissim Aloni’s handwritten corrections), manuscripts of plays that Nissim Aloni translated, edited or directed, entertainment shows that Nissim Aloni wrote or directed, short stories, some of which have never been published, poems and lists. In addition, the archive contains all of the personal diaries, certificates and letters that Aloni received during his lifetime. The archive has a large amount of audiovisual material (plays that were filmed, films made from his work, and ones that were planned or made by him).

The various documents are classified via subject and work. The archive also contains at everything that was written about Aloni over the years. The documents are divided into the following groups: Research and Criticism, Media Announcements, Interviews, Productions, Adaptations, and Translations. The archive offers a rare glimpse into the world of fantasy and legend that abounds in his works.

Curriculum Vitae

Nissim Aloni playwright and author, was born in Tel Aviv, in 1926 to a poor family in the Wolfson borough. The dynamic character of the place afforded a rich source for his writings.
After graduating from high school he joined the Jewish Guard of the Mandatory Palestine Settlement Police and began writing for the weekly "The Mahaneh".
During the independence War he served in the Israel Army as a combat soldier. After the war, he studied history and French culture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He published scores of short stories in weeklies and literary magazines. Four of his stories were published in the collection "Hayanshuf" (The Owl), (describing the experiences of boys in suburbs in the south of Tel-Aviv).

His main work in the field of play writing, in 1954 was "Achzar Mikol Melech" which received a resounding reaction among theater goers. In 1963 he established the "Seasons Theater" together with Yossi Banai and Avner Hizkiyahu. The theater's aim was to present modern and original plays. It functional for four years, offering performances of his own ("American Princess") under his direction, as well as plays by Chekhov, Googol and others.
He wrote about ten plays, and translated about 30 plays.
In addition he wrote several programs for entertainment plays, words for various songs, and script.
In his later years he was severely handicapped, by cerebral damage.
Nissim Aloni died in 1998 in Tel-Aviv.

Books by Nissim Aloni

The American Princess (play), Amikam, 1963; Yediot Aharonoth, 2002 [Ha-Nesicha Ha-Amerikait]
Eddy King (play), Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1975 [Eddy King]
The Bride and the Butterfly Hunter (play), Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1980 [Ha-Kalah Ve-Tzayad Ha-Parparim]
The Owl (stories), Tarmil, 1975; Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1981; Am Oved, 1996 [Ha-Yanshuf]
Napoleon, Dead or Alive (play), Keter, 1993 [Napoleon Hai O Met]
Notes of an Alley Cat (non-fiction), Yediot Aharonot, 1996 [Reshimot Shel Hatul Rechov]
Most Cruel the King (play), Yediot Aharonot, 1997 [Achzar Mi-Col Ha-Melech]
Aunt Lisa (play), Yedioth Ahronoth,2000 [Doda Lisa]
Gypsies of Jaffa (play), Yedioth Ahronoth, 2000 [Ha-Tsoanim Shel Yaffo]
The King`s Clothes (play), Yedioth Ahronoth, 2004 [Bigdey Ha- Meleh]
Run, Soldier, Run (stories, new edition of The Owl), Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2006 [Ruts, Hayal Turki]