which he read in German translation. A collection of essays on this subject, edited in part by Hillel Weiss, with contributions from Israeli and German scholars, was published in 2010: Agnon and Germany: The Presence of the German World in the Writings of S.Y. Agnon. The budding Hebrew literature also influenced his works, notably that of his friend, Yosef Haim Brenner. In Germany, Agnon also spent time with the Hebraists Hayim Nahman Bialik and Ahad Ha'am. The communities he passed through in his life are reflected in his works: Galicia: in the books The Bridal Canopy, A City and the Fullness Thereof, A Simple Story and A Guest for the Night. Germany: in the stories "Fernheim", "Thus Far" and "Between Two Cities". Jaffa: in the stories "Oath of Allegiance", "Tmol Shilshom" and "The Dune". Jerusalem: "Tehilla", "Tmol Shilshom", "Ido ve-Inam" and "Shira". Nitza Ben-Dov writes about Agnon's use of allusiveness, free-association and imaginative dream-sequences, and discusses how seemingly inconsequential events and thoughts determine the lives of his characters. Some of Agnon's works, such as The Bridal Canopy, And the Crooked Shall Be Made Straight, and The Doctor's Divorce, have been adapted for theatre. A play based on Agnon's letters to his wife, "Esterlein Yakirati", was performed at the Khan Theater in Jerusalem. Language Agnon's writing often used words and phrases that differed from what would become established modern Hebrew. His distinct language is based on traditional Jewish sources, such as the Torah and the Prophets, Midrashic literature, the Mishnah, and other Rabbinic literature. Some examples include: batei yadayim (lit. "hand-houses") for modern kfafot (gloves). yatzta () rather than the modern conjugation yatz'a () ("she went out"). rotev () meaning soup in place of modern marak (). In Modern Hebrew the term 'rotev' means 'sauce'. bet kahava for modern bet kafe (coffee house / café), based on transliteration of the word 'coffee' from Arabic, rather than the contemporary term common in Hebrew, which comes from European languages. Bar-Ilan University has made a computerized concordance of his works in order to study his language. Awards and critical acclaim Agnon was twice awarded the Bialik Prize for literature (1934 and 1950). He was also twice awarded the Israel Prize, for literature (1954 and 1958). In 1966, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from the life of the Jewish people". The prize was shared