Most Cruel of All the Kings
Nissim Aloni
1954
You have no ambition to govern . . . I know you, Ephraimite. [ . . . ] Speak like a man, Jeroboam! What did you come to look for in Israel? Why didn’t you stay in Egypt? And don’t say you came to look for the she-asses.
I loved my country. I have no energy to wander any longer. I own a parcel of land in Ephraim, where the people…
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Creator Bio
Nissim Aloni
Playwright and translator Nissim Aloni was born in Tel Aviv and served in Israel’s War of Independence. His first play, Akhzar mi-kol ha-melekh (Most Cruel of All Is the King) was staged in 1953 at Habimah, Israel’s national theater, where the reactions were stormy. Aloni founded the Te'atron ha-Onot (Theater of Seasons) and wrote material for the Gashash ha-ḥiver Trio. In 1996 he was awarded the Israel Prize for Theater.