I was born and brought up in London and now live in Israel. I have written several books and articles, though I have earned my living mainly as a translator from Hebrew, French and German into English. I studied at the London School of Economics and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Background
Information
The focus of my first novel, 'The Balancing Game, A Child Between Two Worlds, A Society Approaching War,' is the strange life of the child of refugees from Hitler's Germany growing up in a run-down part of London. It also describes the experiences of a young woman expecting her first child in Jerusalem in the period before and during the Six Day War. In a psychological denouement the two strands intertwine.
My second novel, 'Time Out of Joint, the Fate of a Family,' tells the story of a German-Jewish family and what becomes of the individual members as Hitler and the Nazi party gain control of Germany. The book is based on and inspired by documents my father brought out of Germany when he fled the country in December 1938, after Kristallnacht.
My third novel, 'Levi Koenig, A Contemporary King Lear,' describes a situation that is becoming more and more widespread. An aged, ailing parent -- in this case the father -- and his children, his three daughters. In some cases it parallels Shakespeare's epic play, but instead of the black-and-white characters of the daughters (two wicked and one angelic), each of Mr. Koenig's girls give their father the care they think he deserves. Matters go awry, however, when they discover that he has been sending money to an unknown woman, whereupon greed, guilt and suspicion raise their ugly heads, causing dissension among the sisters and an unexpected ending.
Birth Place
London, England
Accomplishments
B.A. and M.A. in Economics, Sociology, and Communications. One husband, three children, seven grandchildren.
Contact Information
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
P.O.B. 736 Mevasseret Zion
90805
ISRAEL