Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is a freelance journalist based in Mevasseret Zion, Israel.
Her published works, available on Amazon, include:
My Brilliant Friend, Book 1: Childhood and Adolescence by Elena Ferrante, Europa Editions, 2018. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — This novel, the first of a quartet, has become an international bestseller and has been widely praised in literary circles. So I was overjoyed when I was able to pick up a copy someone […]
Book Review: ‘My Brilliant Friend’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — To tip or not to tip? That is the question. And that is a subject that has occupied my thoughts inordinately for the last few days as the result of something that I witnessed with my own eyes. Until recently my Other Half (OH) and I regarded one
Bad service, no tip, and now what? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Travel and FoodThe Tunnel by Avraham B. Yehoshua; published (in Hebrew) by The New Library, 2018 By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The tunnel of the book’s title is both a physical entity and a metaphor for the chief protagonist’s declining mental faculties. That in itself is a clever and fascinating concept. It’s a pity the
Book Review: The Tunnel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The idea came to me when the announcer on the radio said that the next item in the music program would be one of Mozart’s ‘Haydn Quartets,’ i.e., quartets composed by Mozart and dedicated to and inspired by Haydn. I had known about the relationship of mutual admiration between
If music be the food of love … Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree… By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson SAN DIEGO — The words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem could well apply to San Diego’s stately Balboa Park, with its landscaped grounds, and 17 museums dedicated to different subjects, as well as centers for music, theater, recreational activities, and of course
Tim Shaw exhibit contrasts with peaceful Balboa Park Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Travelling on planes, trains, taxis, cars and even a bus on one occasion, not to mention a great deal of walking, staying in New York, Las Vegas and San Diego in the USA, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, taking in visits to museums and meetings with friends and
East, West, Home’s Best Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, Travel and Food, USA
All Quiet on the Midwestern Plains by Dorothea Shefer-Vanson © 2018, ISBN9781723-871801, 399 pages plus acknowledgements, available on Amazon. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – My colleague, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, has written a novel based in part upon the time that she and her husband Yigal had come to the American Midwest together while he
Vicious politics, betrayal, divide fictional college faculty Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-VansonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The recent tragic events in Pittsburgh took my thoughts to Professor Robert Wistrich’s seminal study of anti-Semitism. Coining the phrase ‘the longest hatred’ to denote the phenomenon, and making it the title of his book, Wistrich describes the longstanding and widespread occurrence of anti-Semitism. In a subsequent tome, A
Words alone do not trigger anti- Semitic outrages Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It’s a very metaphorical eagle: my latest book, All Quiet on the Midwestern Front; a Tale of Deception, Betrayal and Vindication, which has been two years in the making and has now been published on Amazon and is available as an ebook and a paperback. It is my
My ‘eagle’ has landed Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonCamino Island by John Grisham, © 2018, Bantam Books By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — By chance I happened to see an interview with John Grisham on TV, and found myself riveted by this charming and enormously successful writer. His books are not quite my cup of tea, but I found my attention drawn
A lesson in novel writing from John Grisham Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I’m not quite sure when I started writing. I remember trying to write a story of my own sometime around my tenth birthday and having a great deal of difficulty deciding on my characters’ names. Nothing remains of that attempt, but as I grew up I found myself
How a novelist got her start Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — So, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. My new book is out. Hooray! So far it’s only available as an ebook, but the paperback version is in the pipeline and will be available soon, I hope. It’s taken about two years to write, which is almost
Dorothea’s book: ‘All Quiet on the Midwestern Plains’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The name of the author, the actress Simone Signoret, caught my eye and I bought Adieu Volodia for 50 cents (521 pages, hardback) last summer while browsing the stalls at a village brocante, a kind of flea-market in rural France where the locals bring out the items they wish
1985 novel by Simone Signoret still captivates Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As ever, returning to Israel after two months of absence is something of a culture shock, particularly when it comes to driving a car. One is reminded with alarm that rules are no longer rules, the word ‘courtesy’ does not exist in the Hebrew language, and the overall feeling
Home again in Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food