Simon Louvish

Simon Louvish (born 1947 in Glasgow) is a Scots-born British-Israeli author, filmmaker, and film historian, residing in London. He is best known for his and “Blok” trilogy of novels — The Therapy of Avram Blok, City of Blok, and The Last Trump of Avram Blok—which explore Israeli life through a satirical lens. The main protagonist is caught in a landscape of espionage, corrupt politicians. and “Department of Apocalyptic Affairs” intrigue. Blok is a “failed émigré” and “useless citizen” navigating the chaotic social and political landscape of Israel and the Middle East, frequently moving between the outside world and the relative sanity of a Jerusalem mental institution. While often referred to as the Blok Saga or Blok Trilogy, Louvish expanded the story with additional volumes: 

The Days of Miracles and Wonders (1997): Labeled as Volume 4, this epic continues the satirical exploration of what Louvish calls the “New World Disorder”.

The Fundamental Blok (2013): Originally listed as unpublished in some collections, it was eventually released under Louvish’s own imprint, Margaret Macdonald Books.

The Chinese Smile (2013): Listed as the sixth volume in the Blok Saga. The series is

noted for its inventive, “madcap” prose and its ability to blend grand themes—like the Jewish condition, the Holocaust, and mental illness—with biting humor. 

Louvish, Simon [Blok #1], (Therapy of Avram Blok) [hc, William Heinemann Ltd., 1985] 978-0434429707 [pb, Margaret MacDonald Books, 2012] 978-0957243101

Louvish, Simon [Blok #2], (City of Blok) [hc, HarperCollins, 1988] 978-0002233958 [pb, Flamingo, 1989] 978-0006543237

Louvish, Simon [Blok #3], (The Last Trump of Avram Blok) [hc, HarperCollins, 1990] 978-0002234627 [pb, Flamingo, 1991] 978-0006543404

Louvish, Simon [Blok #4], (The Days of Miracles and Wonders [hc, Somerville House Publishing, 1997] 978-1895897753 [pb, Interlink Publishing Group, 1999] 978-1566563161

Louvish, Simon [Blok #5], (The Fundamental Blok [pb, Margaret MacDonald Books, 2013]) 978-0957243149

Louvish, Simon [Blok #6], (The Chinese Smile [pb, Margaret MacDonald Books, ?] [Note: Wikipedia lists Blok #5 and Blok #6 as “unpublished editions”. Blok #5 registers an ISBN number and comes up on Amazon, while Blok #6 does not, on Amazon or anywathere else I could find.]

Louvish has another Israeli series that runs parallel to “Blok”, featuring the protagonist Joe Dekel. He is a cynical former Israeli intelligence officer turned television critic. The Dekel books are framed as political noir thrillers. Dekel is a “reluctant detective” and journalist whose investigations into murders and conspiracies serve as a lens for Louvish to critique Middle Eastern politics. As Joe navigates the West Bank and Israeli political circles, the books use his “stream-of-consciousness” voice and black humor to critique the absurdity of the region’s perpetual conflicts and the “skulduggery” of international espionage. In his work, Louvish targets national loyalties and “magic peace formulas,” presenting a world where human survival defies absurd challenges. While Blok and Dekel rarely cross paths directly, both series are housed in what critics call Louvish’s “satirical map of Israel,” sharing the same biting humor and deep cynicism toward the state’s military and religious establishments.

Louvish, Simon, [Joe Dekel #1] (The Death of Moishe-Ganef) [hc, Heinemann, 1986] 978-0434431007 [pb, Black Swan, 1987] 978-0552992862 [Introduces Dekel as he investigates the death of a childhood friend, leading him into the murky world of Israeli-Palestinian relations.]

Louvish, Simon, [Joe Dekel #2] (The Silencer) [hc, Interlink Books, 1993] 978-1566561167 [pb, Interlink Books, 1993] 978-1566561082 [Follows Dekel into a web of religious extremism and political assassinations.]

Louvish, Simon, [Joe Dekel #3] (What’s Up, God?  [hc, Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Gollancz, 1995] 9780575059948 [pb, Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1996] 978-0575400252 [Dekel finds himself entangled in a world where religious fervor has reached a breaking point. The “End of Days” is no longer just a theological concept but a looming political reality. Various factions—including Jewish zealots, Christian fundamentalists, and Muslim extremists—are all maneuvering for control as the “arrival” of the Messiah appears imminent. Dekel must operate in a landscape of bizarre conspiracies, secret societies, and supernatural occurrences that blur the line between divine intervention and human madness. True to Louvish’s style, the book uses noir tropes to critique the volatility of Middle Eastern politics. It portrays a society so consumed by its own myths that it cannot distinguish between salvation and total destruction.This book serves as the “absurdist conclusion” to the Dekel trilogy, shifting from the grounded political mystery of the first two books into a full-scale apocalyptic satire. – Google/AI]

In addition to all this, Louvish has authored biographies of numerous film and Hollywood iconic figures, including W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Laurel & Hardy, Cecil B. DeMille and Charlie Chaplin. Given his Blok and Dekel series, I chose to include him in the Israeli bibliography list.