Abraham Mapu was an author of the first Hebrew novel, Ahavat Ziyyon (1853; Annou: Prince and Peasant), an idyllic historical romance set in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Couched in florid biblical language, it artfully depicts pastoral life in ancient Israel; the book attained immediate popularity and was later translated into several languages.
Background
Abraham Mapu was born in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania, into a poverty-stricken family. His father, a scholar, worked as a Hebrew teacher. The young Mapu was highly gifted: at the age of seven he became one of his father’s most advanced students and at twelve, already considered a prodigy, left his father’s class tor more advanced studies.
Education
As a child, Abraham Mapu studied in a cheder where his father served as a teacher.