Hamutal Shabtai
Hamutal Shabtai (Hebrew: חמוטל שבתאי; born 1956) is an Israeli psychiatrist and novelist who wrote a 1997 dystopian science fiction novel, 2020, that foresaw the COVID-19 pandemic and many of the circumstances surrounding response to the pandemic worldwide. The book was published by Keter Press , with a reissue and a digital edition published in 2020. As of 2020, it was only available in Hebrew.
Early life and education
Shabtai is the daughter of Israeli novelist, playwright and translator
2020
Shabtai originally wrote the novel as a screenplay in 1986 and 1987, during the
In April 2020 Shabtai told Haaretz that in January of that year, when Israelis' attention was focussed on the election and other issues, she told herself, "You see, 2020 is here and nothing you wrote about happened."[3] In the spring of 2020, as the pandemic was causing lockdown worldwide, David Brin and Danny Bloom commented on the "renewed literery interest" in the novel.[4] Mosaic reported that in July 2020 the book was being displayed in bookstore windows in Tel Aviv.[7] As of 2020 it was only available in Hebrew.[4] (See also: Lazaretto)
Personal life
Shabtai as of 2020 lived in Kfar Sava.[3] She spent most of her professional career as a psychiatrist at the Shalvata Hospital .[3] She has a daughter.[3]
References
- ^ Israel Today.
- ^ Sorice, Antonio (27 October 2020). "Hamutal Shabtai: con il libro "2020", la scrittrice israeliana aveva già previsto la pandemia nel 1997". Fidelity News (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Halperin, Neta (7 April 2020). "The Coronavirus Novel: An Israeli Author Wrote a Book on the 2020 Pandemic 23 Years Ago". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b Galli, Maresa (November 2020). "Hamutal Shabtai". Albatros (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Hamutal Shabtai, la scrittrice israeliana che aveva previsto la pandemia. Ne parlava già in un libro del 1997". Libero Quotidiano (in Italian). 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Baquis, Aldi (24 July 2020). "La "polizia igienica" contro il contagio malefico". Mosaic (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.