Known by the acronym Shai, Agnon became Israel’s first Nobel laureate when he received the literature prize in 1966. No other Hebrew writer has won the Nobel in literature. Born in Galicia, now part of Ukraine, Agnon immigrated to Israel in 1907. His prolific writing depicts the decline of Galician Jewry and the pioneers of Israel and is full of biblical allusions and religious references.
Photo: Israeli Government Press Office