Surprisingly easy to strike a conversation with, Zeruya doesn’t carry the excessive baggage of egoism, pride or self-consciousness, and she likes to keep things low-key. “As a poet, I wasn’t used to getting any attention. When my novels hit bookstands, I was suddenly drawn into the public sphere and I am yet trying to do my best to come to terms with it,” laughs Zeruya, in India to promote her famous book, Love Life. Already translated in 23 languages, the first Indian language the book has been translated to is Malayalam. It has also been adapted into a full-length feature film in German. Shalev has been awarded the Book Publishers Association’s Gold and Platinum Prizes, the Corine Prize (Germany, 2001), the Amphi Award (France, 2003), the ACUM Prize three times (1997, 2003, 2005), and the French Wizo Prize (2007).

The most notable quality of Zeruya’s writing is lyrical prose interlaced with intimate themes. She explains the common poetic strand that runs through her novels, one volume of poetry and a children’s book, saying, “Plot is not enough for me. Style is what I put premium on. My style is reflective of the personal realm that I am drawn to, and where I intersperse elements of fiction, children’s writing and poetry. For me, fiction is like an adventure ride; it allows you a lot of scope to change things in your characters’ life. I like my characters to be alive and complex.”

Israeli literature has always been pre-occupied with war and conflict, especially with Palestine. Zeruya’s work has breathed in a refreshing change the status quo. She says, “There’s more than the war to us.

The people of Israel live normal lives, they go through relationships, marriages, divorces, pain and happiness.” Remembering her days as an editor in a publishing house, she says, “There’s been a great movement in Hebrew literature. We used to get a lot of manuscripts that showed that more and more people want to write. A lot of feminist voices have to come to the fore, women’s writing has acquired prominence and writers are not afraid to experiment.”