The publishing house Achuzat Bayit Books was established by Saray Gutman in early 2004 with the ideological and cultural vision of creating a general publishing house that would assume a prominent role in Israel's cultural arena.
Achuzat Bayit Books publishes a great variety of books and genres, with the sole requirement that they be the best of their kind: High-quality Hebrew literature (including debut novels), high-class translated prose from a broad spectrum of languages, non-fiction, classics, contemporary and experimental literature, poetry (including a poetry magazine), children's books and coffee-table books. Besides the imperative of choosing books with a significant literary and editorial value, the publishing house aims at providing an array of books for an eclectic market, whilst devoting personal and individual attention to each and every title and sparing no effort to reserve a prominent place for its books in the literary and commercial sector of the Israeli book market.
Among the works of translated prose published by Achuzat Bayit Books are: Travesuras de la Niña Mala (Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature), Q&A ("Slumdog Millionaire", Vikas Swarup), Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi), Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates), Nicholas Nickleby (Charles Dickens), Bonjour Tristesse (Françoise Sagan), Hiroshima (John Hersey), The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins), Travels with Charley (John Steinbeck, Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature), No One Belongs Here More Than You (Miranda July), Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism (Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) and others.
Among the works of Hebrew literature published by Achuzat Bayit Books are: Aunt Eva, His Nights and Days (Amnon Dankner), Lies, First Person (Gail Hareven), Abandoned Saintly (Maya Arad), Lonely People Operas: Short Stories (Eitan Glas), A Mere Mortal (Shimon Adaf), Flies (Aharon Meged), The Picture Looks at Me (Aviad Givon), Orna & Ella – a Cookery book (written by the founders of the successful Israeli restaurant) and others. Besides that, Achuzat Bayit Books publishes the debut novel series "Makor" (Origin) edited by Dana Olmert and the magazine for poetry and literature Ho!, edited by Dory Manor, one of the most prominent Israeli poets and translators.
Achuzat Bayit Books utilizes the services of the top Israeli translators, editors, designers, producers, marketers and suppliers. During the publishing process, each author and title receives the most meticulous and professional attention based on uncompromising editorial and cultural dedication. The publishing house also invests substantial resources in public relations and marketing to guarantee its books the media resonance they deserve and to attract the attention of literary critics as well as the general public.
Saray Gutman, publisher and chief editor of Achuzat Bayit Books, has twenty years of experience in the Israeli publishing sector. Amongst other positions, she was chief editor of Israel’s largest publishing house, Kinneret-Zmora-Bitan during the merger of the two publishing companies (Kinneret and Zmora-Bitan). At the end of 2003, Saray Gutman left her position at Kinneret-Zmora-Bitan, to establish a publishing house that would express her love of literature and books as well as the respect she has for the world of literature in all its diversity – from poetic experiments eager to move from the sidelines and to reach center stage to mature literature with any kind of cultural significance.
Achuzat Bayit Books is trying to preserve the heritage of publishing in Hebrew for its generation and to take an active part thereof, motivated by the feeling of estimation for its predecessors and all the companies and institutions that are involved with publishing, books and contemporary literature.
In 2010, Achuzat Bayit Books signed a cooperation agreement with Miskal (the publishing house "Yediot Sfarim"), with the aim of enabling Achuzat Bayit Books to utilize the powerful and well-established economical platform and the marketing and advertising stage of the publishing house "Yediot Sfarim", whilst retaining absolute editorial independence.
Achuzat Bayit Books
