SOBEL, Ileene Smith 1953-

PERSONAL: Born 1953. Education: Brandeis University, B.A., 1975; Teacher's College, M.A., 1978. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES: Office—Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Random House, New York, NY, vice president and senior editor, 2003—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Tony Godwin Memorial award; PEN/Roger Klein award; Jerusalem fellowship.

WRITINGS:

Moses and the Angels (children's book), illustrated by Mark Podwal, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS: An editor for many years, Ileene Smith Sobel had her own work published in 1999. She wrote about the biblical figure of Moses, and also added to the story by incorporating myth, folklore, and legend; there is little evidence, other than the Old Testament, that Moses ever really existed. The classical tale of Moses is told, explaining how angels led him throughout his journey in life. While the Angel of Dreams brought Pharaoh the dream that Israelites would become a threat to Egypt, it was the Angel of Death who brought death to the first born in the Egyptian households and spared the Israelite children. Other, less-well-known angelsaere also described. Who knew that the angels wanted to steal the Ten Commandments? A reviewer for Kirkus Reviews called the stories in Moses and the Angels "unusual renderings," but "entertaining."

A reviewer for Publishers Weekly wrote that "Sobel's prose [is] strong and direct" while "displaying considerable charm." Betsy Hearne, a reviewer for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, declared Moses and the Angels an "epic" journey and wrote that Sobel's "uncluttered and graceful style" explains the long cast of characters well even if more context is needed to explain the "cultural context" of the epic. Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper considered Moses and the Angels "highly readable" and "suffused with spirit."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 211; October 1, 1999, Ilene Cooper and Gilbert Taylor, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 372.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February, 1999, Betsy Hearne, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 217.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1998, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 1804.

New York Times Book Review, September 12, 1999, Steven R. Weisman, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 37.

Publishers Weekly, January 25, 1999, review of Moses and the Angels, p. 86.