Books by Mati Shemoelof
Mati Shemoelof has published sixteen books in Israel and Germany, including poetry, fiction, essays and drama. His writing moves between Hebrew, German, Arabic and English, exploring migration, memory, Jewish and Mizrahi identity, Berlin, belonging and the experience of living between languages and cultures.
His first publication in Germany was the bilingual poetry collection Bagdad | Haifa | Berlin (AphorismA Verlag, 2019), followed by Das kleine Boot in meiner Hand nenn ich Narbe (Parasitenpresse, 2023) and the novel Der Preis (PalmArtPress, 2025).
His first book written entirely in German, Jiddische Sounds, Deutsche Wörter, will be published by Elif Verlag in February 2027.
2026
Fünfzehn Narben
Jüdisch-arabische Texte zu Politik und Poesie
AphorismA Verlag, 2026
A collection of Jewish-Arab texts on politics and poetry, bringing together essays, reflections and poetic writing.
2025
Der Preis
Roman
PalmArtPress, 2025
A novel about Israeli literature, Germany, Mizrahi identity, love, cultural recognition and the complicated relationship between Israel and Germany.
2024
It’s This Happiness, You Wanted Me to Touch
Poetry
Pardes Publishers, 2024
A poetry collection originally written in Hebrew.
2023
Das kleine Boot in meiner Hand nenn ich Narbe
Gedichte
Parasitenpresse, 2023
Translated into German by Gundula Schiffer.
The collection explores migration, memory, war, family, language and the experience of living between places.
2022
An Eruption from the East
Essays zur Mizrahi-Kultur und israelischen Gesellschaft
2022
Essays on Mizrahi culture, Israeli society, Jewish-Arab identity, memory and the cultural and political history of Jews from the Arab world.
2021
The Prize
Roman
Pardes Publishers, 2021
The Hebrew-language novel that preceded the German edition Der Preis.
2020
Bleiben oder widerstehen
Gedichte und Texte
AphorismA Verlag, 2020
A collection of poetry and texts published in the context of the German-language literary scene.
2019
Bagdad | Haifa | Berlin
Gedichte
AphorismA Verlag, 2019
Translated into German by Jan Kühne.
The bilingual collection marked Mati Shemoelof's literary publication in Germany and brings together poems shaped by Baghdad, Haifa and Berlin.
2018
…reißt die Mauern ein zwischen „uns“ und „ihnen“
Poetry
AphorismA Verlag, 2018
A collection of poetry engaging with borders, identity, migration and the relationship between “us” and “them”.
2017
Hebrew Outside Its Sweet Insides
Poems
2017
A Hebrew poetry collection exploring language, identity, migration and the political and emotional landscapes of contemporary Israel.
2014
Last Tango in Berlin
Poetry
2014
A poetry collection connected to Berlin, migration and the experience of building a life between languages and places.
2014
Remnants of the Cursed Book and Other Stories
Short Stories
2014
A collection of short fiction.
2013
An Appetite for Hunger
Poetry
2013
A poetry collection exploring desire, hunger, memory and the experience of contemporary Israeli life.
2010
Why I Do Not Write Israeli Love Songs
Poetry
2010
A poetry collection that questions Israeli identity, love, nationalism and the possibilities of writing from within and outside the Israeli experience.
2006
Poetry Between Hazaz and Shemoelof
Poetry
2006
An early poetry collection marking an important stage in Shemoelof's development as a Hebrew-language poet.
2001
Scar Minimizer
Poetry
2001
Mati Shemoelof's first poetry collection.
FORTHCOMING
Jiddische Sounds, Deutsche Wörter
German-language poetry and prose
Elif Verlag, February 2027
Mati Shemoelof's first book written entirely in German.
The book grows out of his experience of living and writing between Hebrew, German, Arabic and English, and explores Jewish memory, language, migration, identity and contemporary Germany.
The project was supported by a scholarship from the German Literature Fund.
Explore Mati Shemoelof's Writing
Poetry
Poetry in German, Hebrew and translation.
Deutsche Gedichte
Selected German-language poems, publications and translations.
Fiction
Novels, short stories and other prose.
Drama
Plays and radio works.
Articles & Essays
Essays, cultural writing and political texts.
Editorial Work
Magazines, anthologies and literary projects.