Publications

The Debba

In Middle East lore, the Debba is a mythical Arab hyena that can turn into a man who lures Jewish children away from their families to teach them the language of the beasts. To the Arabs, he is a heroic national symbol; to the Jews, he is a terrorist... To David Starkman, “The Debba” is a controversial play, written...

Talking to the Enemy (Story collection)

Mandelman, an Israeli living in Toronto, complicates the underside of Israeli culture, teasing out the roots of violence and prejudice in this alternately dark and humorous collection, which won the Jewish Book Award when first published in Canada….With these agile, vernacular stories, Mandelm...

Cuckoo (Story collection)

The cuckoo is a bird that lays its eggs in other birds’ nests. So with Israel, where most of these stories take place and where for generations the occupants of the land have been disputing who is the rightful owner and who is the cuckoo. The stories all take place in a world where God plays...

Next Book : The Undertaker (Tel Aviv Noir)

Other Publications and Awards

Magazines:

• ZYZZYVA,
• Partisan Review,
• Mapping the Occident,
• Jewish Forward,
• Parchment,
• Commentary,
• Maa’ariv

Anthologies:

• Best American Short Stories,
• Pushcart Prize
• Best of ZYZZYVA

Literary prizes:

• I. J. Segal First Prize in Jewish Fiction,
• First Sophie Brodie medal for fiction; First prize,
• Maariv short story contest: First Prize,
• Journey Prize,

Public readings and performances:

• Symphony Space,
• American Public Radio,
• Berkeley’s American Conservatory Theater
  (one-man show: “Pity”)

Other:

• One story (Test) used in curriculum of some Israeli services