Author and artist Amos Keinan dead at 82

Renowned author, publicist and artist Amos Keinan died Tuesday evening at his Tel Aviv home. Keinan, 82, has been ill for a long period and was suffering from Alzheimer's. He is survived by his wife, literary scholar Nurit Gertz and his two daughters: Singer and songwriter Rona, who dedicated her latest album to him, and journalist Shlomtzion.

Keinan's funeral will be held on Thursday at 6 pm at the cemetery in Kibbutz Einat.

Keinan was born in Tel Aviv in 1927 to a family of pioneer laborers. When he was 16 he decided to quit school and work in a garage and as a builder. In 1946 he joined the Lehi organization, although he defined himself a leftist. For a certain period he was also associated with the Canaanite movement.

In the early 1950s Keinan started publishing a satirical column in Haaretz. His first book, "With Whips and Scorpions", a collection of his columns, appeared in 1952.

In later years his writing focused on political novels, including "Shoah II" (1975) and "The Road to Ein Harod" (1984), in which he strongly criticized the social and political reality in Israel through a futuristic description of Israel's destruction.

Alongside his journalistic and literary works, Keinan was also a sculptor, a painter and a playwright. He wrote several plays, as well as the screenplay for Uri Zohar's "A Hole in the Moon" (1965). He also wrote songs for artists like Arik Lavi, The High Windows, and the Hagashash Hahiver comic trio.

In 1963 he started writing a regular political commentary column in Yedioth Ahronoth, in which he voiced his left-wing, mostly critical opinions regarding Israeli policy, from a deep emotional connection to the country.

In 2008 his wife, Nurit Gerthz, published his biography, "Unrepentant."

Culture Minister Limor Livnat said upon hearing of his death: "Keinan was an author, an artist and an important publicist who left a significant mark on Israeli culture.

"His life story is intertwined with the history of the State of Israel. His personality and multifaceted work will be missed in our cultural landscape."