Yaakov Shabtai (Hebrew: יעקב שבתאי; March 8, 1934 – August 4, 1981) was an Israeli novelist, playwright, and translator.
[6] In its English translation the novel received international acclaim as a unique work of modernism, prompting critic Gabriel Josipovici of The Independent to name it the greatest novel of the decade, comparing it to Proust's In Search of Lost Time.
[citation needed] Shabtai was a well-known playwright, author of Crowned Head and The Spotted Tiger.
He translated many plays into Hebrew, including works by Harold Pinter, Neil Simon, Noël Coward and Eugene O'Neill.
Shabtai's daughter Hamutal recalls him pacing the house reciting passages from his books to hear how they sounded.