Oded Burla

Oded Burla was born on June 23, 1915 in Jerusalem to a Sephardic Jewish family. His father Yehuda Burla, was a famous Hebrew novelist. Burla's young brother, Yair, was also a writer and translator. His early years were spent moving between Jerusalem, Haifa and Zikhron Ya'akov. At 13, he transferred to the school at Kibbutz Beit Alfa and then Mikveh Israel, an agricultural school near Holon.

From 1949 to 1955 Oded Burla lived in the USA where he taught in Hebrew schools, worked as an announcer and speechwriter for a radio station "Kol America". In addition, he started his artistic career. When he came back to Israel, he was admitted to Bezalel Academy of Art and Design where he majored in graphics.[1]

His first book, Letters to Liora, was Oded Burla's letters collection addressed to his niece when he was in the USA. He had never stopped drawing and his pictures were presented in many art exhibitions around the world. Oded Burla composed music for some children's songs.

Burla wrote and illustrated 70 books. His books combine children's naivety and their sharpness, humor and amusing expressions. Most of his characters are animals put into strange adventurous situations. In his writings, Burla paid great attention to even small details and expressed a love of nature. As a result, Burla was considered the founder of children's literature in Hebrew culture. His last book was published in 1996.

In 2008, Burla was awarded the Bialik Prize for literature, (jointly with Yeshayahu Koren and Israel Eliraz).[2]

Burla died on July 26, 2009, at the age of 94, following a long battle with skin cancer. Shortly before his death, Letters to Liora was reissued, after remaining a collector's item for many years.

• List of Bialik Prize recipients