Background
Oded Burla was born on June 23, 1915 in Jerusalem to a Sephardic Jewish family. His father Yehuda Burla, was a famous Hebrew novelist.
Oded Burla was born on June 23, 1915 in Jerusalem to a Sephardic Jewish family. His father Yehuda Burla, was a famous Hebrew novelist.
He is considered as one of the founders of children"s literature in Hebrew. Burla"s young brother, Yair, was also a writer and translator. His early years were spent moving between Jerusalem, Haifa and Zikhron Ya"akov.
At 13, he transferred to the school at Kibbutz Beit Alfa and then Mikveh Israel, an agricultural school near Holon.
From 1949 to 1955 Oded Burla lived in the United States of America where he taught in Hebrew schools, worked as an announcer and speechwriter for a radio station "Kol America". In addition, he started his artistic career.
When he came back to Israel, Oded Burla had been admitted into Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in which he majored in graphics. He had never stopped drawing and his pictures were presented in many art exhibitions around the world.
Oded Burla composed music for some children"s songs.
Burla has written and illustrated 70 books His books combine children"s naivety and their sharpness, humor and amusing expressions. Most of his characters are animals put into strange adventurous situations.
In his writings, Burla pays attention to every tiny detail and expresses love of nature.
His last book was written in 1996. Burla died on July 26, 2009, at the age of 94, following a long battle with cancer.
Shortly before his death, Letters to Liora was reissued, after remaining a collector"s item for many years.