Amos Oz is an Israeli writer, essayist and professor of literature. He was born in 1939 in Jerusalim and graduated in philosophy and literature from Hebrew University of Jerusalim. Oz wrote his first stories in 1961, followed by a series of articles and essays on the Arab-Israeli conflict. He teaches history and literature and writes books in his native country for a quarter of century. Since the mid-80's Amos Oz is a professor at Oxford University, Hebrew University and Colorado College. In 1997 he was awarded with Order of Honor Legion by Jacques Shirak, in 1998 he obtained the Israel Prize for literature and in 2005 - award "Goethe", which were awarded to Freud and Thomas Mann. Oz is a member of the Academy of Hebrew and is an author of over 450 essays and of 18 books, translated into over 35 languages. In the recent years, Amos Oz is among the most serious candidates for the Nobel Prize.