An Israeli satirist, playwright, film writer, and director, Kishon is best known in the English-speaking world for his feuilletons, or political pamphlets. Born in Budapest, Kishon first began publishing humorous essays there. In 1949 he immigrated to Israel and began writing his columns for the Hebrew daily newspaper Omer and later for the daily Ma'ariv and the Jerusalem Post. Kishon is considered Israel's national humorist. He has been awarded the Israeli Nordau Prize, the Herzl Prize for Literature, and the Sokolov Prize for outstanding journalistic achievement.