In his talk, “The Foreign Mother Tongue,” Sayed Kashua will speak about his experience growing up and pursuing a journalistic and literary career as a Palestinian in Israel, operating largely in a Hebrew speaking world that tolerates him but never manages to accept him with open arms.

Sayed Kashua is a prominent author and journalist, born in Tira, Israel. Writing in Hebrew, and identifying as Palestinian citizen of Israel, Kashua is known for his books and humorous columns in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. He is the author of three novels: Dancing Arabs , Let it Be Morning, and Second Person Singular. Kashua is winner of the prestigious Berstein Prize. In a humorous, tongue-in-cheek style, Kashua addresses the problems faced by Arabs in Israel, caught between two worlds. He is the writer and creator of the hit Israeli TV shows "Arab Labor” and “The Writer". In 2004 Kashua was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize in Literature. His novel Dancing Arabs has been made into a feature film titled "A Borrowed Identity", and premiered in 2014 at the Telluride Film Festival.