ABout

(English and then German)

Mati Shemoelof (b. 1972) is a multilingual writer, poet, curator, and editor based in Berlin. He has published twelve books in Israel and Germany, including eight poetry collections. His work spans fiction, poetry, plays, essays, journalistic articles, texts for art exhibitions, short stories, and more—offering a rich, cross-genre approach to literature.

In 2024, he received a scholarship from the German Literature Fund to write his first book in German, Jewish Sounds, German Words. In 2025, his novel Der Preis was published by PalmArtPress in Germany.

His personal and artistic mission is to confront injustice and discrimination through syncretic storytelling—melding languages, traditions, and histories to disrupt dominant narratives and bridge cultural divides. By drawing from both past and future, he seeks new, inclusive solutions for the present. His work reflects a deep belief in the power of words to inspire lasting change.

After relocating to Berlin, Shemoelof founded Poetic Hafla, a collective curating multidisciplinary events that blend literature, music, and performance with artists from around the world. He later co-founded Anu אנו نحن: Jews and Arabs Writing in Berlin, a literary project fostering cultural dialogue among writers and artists from the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. The group advocates feminist, queer, and intersectional perspectives while challenging German narratives around "the Other" and "the Guest"—amplifying the voices of Arab-Jewish heritage.

In Israel, Shemoelof co-founded the Cultural Guerrilla movement, which politicized poetry and became a cultural force during the 2011 social protests. A key voice in articulating Mizrahi identity and third-generation consciousness, he has been active in several Mizrahi movements, including the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow, Ruh Jadida, and legal petitions opposing exclusionary national state law. He helped expose the Ars Poetica literary series while publishing its anthlogies and other books by Cultural Guerrilla Publishers. Lately, he coined the concept of the Mizrahi Diaspora—exploring the experience of Mizrahim beyond Israeli national borders.

Shemoelof advocates for peaceful, non-violent dialogue about the future of Israel/Palestine and is deeply committed to ending the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza and promoting coexistence through cultural activism.

Mati Shemoelof, Jahrgang 1972, ist Schriftsteller, Dichter und Kurator. Geboren und aufgewachsen in Haifa/Israel, lebt und arbeitet er heute mit Lebensmittelpunkt in Berlin. Er hat bislang zwölf Bücher in Israel und Deutschland veröffentlicht, darunter acht Gedichtbände. Sein Werk ist vielfältig und umfasst Belletristik, Lyrik, Theaterstücke, Essays, Texte für Kunstausstellungen, Kurzgeschichten und mehr.

Seine erste Veröffentlichung in Deutschland war die zweisprachige Ausgabe des Gedichtbandes Bagdad | Haifa | Berlin (Aphorisma Verlag, 2019). Es folgte Das kleine Boot in meiner Hand nenn ich Narbe: Gedichte (Parasitenpresse, 2023). Für den WDR entwickelte er das Hörspiel Das künftige Ufer (2018).

In Berlin gründete er die Gruppe Poetic Hafla, die literarische und musikalische Performances organisiert, sowie Anu אנו نحن: Jews and Arabs Writing in Berlin, ein Kollektiv für jüdisch-arabischen Dialog. Für ein viertägiges Festival zur Vision einer Nahostunion erhielt er ein Sonderstipendium des Berliner Senats.

2024 wurde er vom Literaturfonds Deutschland für sein erstes Buch auf Deutsch, Jiddische Sounds, Deutsche Wörter, gefördert. 2025 erscheint sein Roman Der Preis im PalmArtPress Verlag. Neben seiner schriftstellerischen Arbeit ist er als Literaturredakteur und gelegentlich in den Medien tätig. Er lebt in Berlin, ist glücklich verheiratet und Vater einer kleinen Tochter.