Emanuel LottemEmanuel Lottem, Ph.D. (Econ) Emanuel Lottem has been a central figure in the Israeli science fiction and fantasy scene since the mid-1970s: Translator of some of the best SF/F books published in Hebrew and editor of others; advisor t beginning writers; the moving force in the creation of the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy and its first Chairman; the founder of its annual ICon conventions and other activities.
Lottem's first SF translation was Frank Herbert's Dune, which has become a classic. According to Israeli literary historian Eli Eshed, "this translation is considered a masterpiece of SF translations"; and according to the Hebrew Wikipedia, "some consider it even better than the original version", a flattering characterization which Lottem nonetheless disagrees with. More SF/F translations followed, and Lottem's name became familiar to and respected by Hebrew-reading fans.
After a few career changes, Lottem became a freelance translator and editor. In addition to SF/F, he also specializes in popular science and military history. In 1983, Lottem became chairman of the editorial board of the Israeli SF/F magazine Fantasia 2000, which unfortunately (but in terms of the exigencies of Israeli publishing, perhaps miraculously as well) lasted for 44 issues before rolling down its awning. A few years later, in 1996, Lottem presided over the inaugural meeting of the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy, which he founded with a small group of devoted fans. Visiting author Brian Aldiss officially announced the ISSF&F open for business, and Lottem was unanimously elected its first Chairman.
To date, Lottem's SF/F translations include works by Douglas Adams, Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Lois M. Bujold, C.J. Cherryh, Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Ursula Le Guin, Ann Leckie, Larry Niven, Mervyn Peake, Robert Silverberg, James Tiptree, Jr., J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance, and Connie Willis, among many others. In 1994 Lottem won one of Israel's highest translation awards, the Tchernichovsky Prize, for his translation of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene. Read More Read Less