Yitzhak Laor was born in 1948 to Jewish parents in Pardes Hannah, Palestine, a year before it became an  Israeli territory. He received a PhD in Theatre and Literature from
Tel Aviv University. He lives, works and writes in Tel Aviv, as a poet, playwright, novelist, and a critic. He was sentenced six months in prison for refusing army service in the occupied areas in 1972. In the 1980¡¯s he wrote poetry condemning the war in Lebanon. In 1985 Israeli censorship prevented the staging of his play Ephraim Goes Back to the Army. Laor brought a petition before the Israeli Supreme Court against the Film and Play Censorship Board, which led to the cancellation of censorship of plays. In 1990 then Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir refused to sign the ¡®Prime Minister¡¯s Prize for Poetry¡¯ which had been awarded to Laor. He has published more than ten volumes of poetry, play, and stories as well as three novels. His works have been translated into more than 9 languages, including Arabic and Germany.
"Reflections on the Study of History," a satirical mock essay about the reason why the generals who are responsible for the first Lebanon War should not participate in yet another war, was written four months before last summer¡¯s Lebanon War.