Shay K. Azoulay () is an Israeli writer who writes in English and Hebrew.
Novels Azoulay's debut novel Lazaretto (לזארטו) was published in summer 2019 in Hebrew.Lazaretto, Shay K. Azoulay (in Hebrew) A review in Haaretz described the novel as “an ambitious, high-tension novel, seeped in paranoia... Lazaretto is a disturbing and stirring dystopia which haunted me while I was reading it and even after I’d finished.”Lazaretto: In This Novel the "State of Tel Aviv" Becomes a Dystopian Reality - Haaretz, 20 January 2020 (in Hebrew) The novel was named "Book of the Year" by LaIsha Magazine which dubbed it "the novel that predicted the pandemic""Lazaretto - The Novel that Predicted the Pandemic" Maya Levin, LaIsha, p. 51, 14 September 2020.
Azoulay's second novel Through No Wish of My Own (רכוש צבאי), chronicling a soldier's experiences in the IDF, was published in summer 2026 in Hebrew.Through No Wish of My Own, Shay K. Azoulay (in Hebrew).
Short stories Azoulay has written a series of short stories grouped under the general title "Minor Writers of the Entropic Age". These stories include:
"Jacob Wallenstein, Notes for a Future Biography", a work of fiction regarding a "forgotten" Israeli science fiction novelist and his 1,000 page magnum opus. In 2013 Azoulay submitted this story to Tablet magazine, claiming that it was a true account of the nonexistent writer's life and work. An editor at the magazine was initially excited by the story, but eventually discovered that it was a hoax, though he decided to publish the story anyway, together with a forward explaining his discovery of the hoax.Jacob Wallenstein Is the Greatest Science-Fiction Writer to Never Have Lived - Tablet Magazine, 16 October 2013. A Hebrew version of the story was later anthologized in Mars is Here! A Hebrew Anthology of Speculative Fiction alongside works by Etgar Keret and Shimon Adaf Mars is Here! Book page on e-vrit website. "The Invention of H. P. Lovecraft" imagines the controversial author as an invention of Jorge Luis Borges (published in Flapperhouse MagazineThe Invention of H. P. Lovecraft - Flapperhouse Magazine, Fall 2016., a Portuguese translation appeared in Revista Bang! magazineRevista Bang! 25) "The Bard of Hastings" concerns a homeless poet who achieves online fame (published in The Cost of Paper The Bard of Hastings - The Cost of Paper Vol. 5, Spring 2018.). "Permaculture" about a soviet critic given an impossible task of consolidating all of Russian literature into a single volume (won second prize in the 2016 Zoetrope: All-Story short fiction contestTwentieth Annual Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Contest - List of winners, Zoetrope: All-Story). in "Routine" a writer tries to emulate the writing habits of his literary heroes (published in Crack the Spine magazineRoutine: A Crack the Spine Themed Anthology, October 2018. ISBN 1732869308).
Other short works by Azoulay have appeared in The Molotov Cocktail and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He has also written book reviews for The New York Times.
Plays Azoulay's debut play, "The Platoon", a satire about the IDF, won first place in the 2012 staged reading festival "Zav Kriah".IDF Satire wins first prize - Ynet, 1 April 2012 (in Hebrew) The play was staged in Tel Aviv's Tzavtah Theater in 2014-2015 and received good reviews in the press, including a review by prominent theater critic Michael Handelzalts, who compared it to the work of Hanoch Levin."The Platoon" - Princes of the Washtub - Haaretz, 18 January 2015 (in Hebrew) The play also stirred controversy, following an article which mistakenly claimed that the play depicts IDF soldiers raping Palestinian women. A member of the Tel Aviv municipal council sent a letter to the theater, demanding that they stop the staging of the play.Senior Tel Aviv Council Member: Tzavtah is Demeaning the IDF - Ynet, 6 January 2015 (in Hebrew) Azoulay's other work includes the one-act play "Shade", which participated in the Tzavtah Theater's 2012 Short play Festival, and "Barabas" - a reimagining of Christopher Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta" staged as part of Yiddishpiel's 2018 staged reading festival.
Translations Azoulay also works as a Hebrew to English translator, translating non-fiction,Yom Kippur War: Syrians at the Border by Danny Asher children's literature, and plays, including works by playwright Hanoch Levin.Job and Jesus Combine to Overcome - New York Times review of 2006 production of Hanoch Levin's Job's Passion translated by Azoulay
References
External links Shay K. Azoulay - official website. Shay Azoulay on the Israeli Dramatists Website. Shay Azoulay on The Short Story Project.