Avi Elias was born in 1955 and grew up in Ramat Yisrael, a povertystricken Tel Aviv neighbourhood. As a teenager, he had to quit school to get a job, and in the afternoons apprenticed as a mechanic in Garage Dan. Elias served in the Navy and in the Ordnance Corps; during his service he learned drama and started writing poetry. His books include Acorns (1988), The Crown of the Dream and God and a Fat Man in a Yellow Jeep with artist Menashe Kadishman. Elias was a literary critic for the daily newspaper “Davar” (1993-94) and the literary periodical “Moznayim” (19956). He worked as a civil service investigator for 30 years and was the secretary general of ‘Dror - the Association for the Advancement of Art among Prison Inmates’. He is currently reporter, columnist, and cultural correspondent for “Israel Post” and personal advisor on social issues to MK Ilan Gilon of Meretz .
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