Hamutal Shabtai (Hebrew: חמוטל שבתאי; born 1956) is an Israeli psychiatrist and novelist who wrote a 1997 dystopian science fiction novel, 2020, that foresaw the COVID-19 pandemic and many of the circumstances surrounding response to the pandemic worldwide. The book was published by Keter Press, with a reissue and a digital edition published in 2020. As of 2020, it was only available in Hebrew.
Hamutal Shabtai | |
|---|---|
| Native name | חמוטל שבתאי |
| Born | 1956 |
| Occupation | Psychiatrist, novelist |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Notable works | 2020 |
| Parents | Ya’akov Shabtai (father) |
| Relatives | David Negbi (grandfather), Orly Shabtai (sister) |
Early life and education
editShabtai is the daughter of Israeli novelist, playwright and translator Ya’akov Shabtai[1][2] and the granddaughter of David Negbi, founder of publishing house Sifriyat Hapoalim.[3] She has one sister, Orly, who is a clinical psychologist.[3] She grew up at Kibbutz Merhavia. Her mother taught at Seminar Hakibbutzim and was often absent from home during the week, and Shabtai was very close to her father.[3] In 1967 the family moved to Tel Aviv[3] where she attended Tel Aviv University and studied medicine.[3]
2020
editShabtai originally wrote the novel as a screenplay in 1986 and 1987, during the AIDS epidemic; it was published by Haim Pesach at Keter Press as a 600-page novel in 1997.[3][4][1][5] It predicts lockdowns, social distancing, and mandated health precautions.[5][6] Shabtai recalls friends telling her when the book was originally published that the subject matter was "hard to relate to".[3]
In April 2020 Shabtai told Haaretz that in January of that year, when Israelis' attention was focussed on the election and other issues, she told herself, "You see, 2020 is here and nothing you wrote about happened."[3] In the spring of 2020, as the pandemic was causing lockdown worldwide, David Brin and Danny Bloom commented on the "renewed literery interest" in the novel.[4] Mosaic reported that in July 2020 the book was being displayed in bookstore windows in Tel Aviv.[7] As of 2020 it was only available in Hebrew.[4] (See also: Lazaretto)
Personal life
editShabtai as of 2020 lived in Kfar Sava.[3] She spent most of her professional career as a psychiatrist at the Shalvata Hospital.[3] She has a daughter.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Eliraz, Esti (10 March 2020). "Are There Jewish Prophecies About Coronavirus?". Israel Today.
- ^ Sorice, Antonio (27 October 2020). "Hamutal Shabtai: con il libro "2020", la scrittrice israeliana aveva già previsto la pandemia nel 1997". Fidelity News (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Halperin, Neta (7 April 2020). "The Coronavirus Novel: An Israeli Author Wrote a Book on the 2020 Pandemic 23 Years Ago". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Bloom, Danny (8 April 2020). "Prophetic Israeli sci-fi novel from 23 years ago predicted current pandemic". Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b Galli, Maresa (November 2020). "Hamutal Shabtai". Albatros (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Hamutal Shabtai, la scrittrice israeliana che aveva previsto la pandemia. Ne parlava già in un libro del 1997". Libero Quotidiano (in Italian). 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Baquis, Aldi (24 July 2020). "La "polizia igienica" contro il contagio malefico". Mosaic (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2022.