Dan Tsalka (Hebrew: דן צלקה) was born in Warsaw, Poland, and spent many years during World War II in Siberia and Kazakhstan. In 1946, he returned to Poland where he studied philosophy and literature and engaging in boxing, an activity that appeared later in the novel Gloves.
He immigrated to Israel in 1957. He changed his name from Mietek to Dan, a name his sister suggested during their stay in a transit camp (maabara) in Yavne. After studying Hebrew at Kibbutz Hazor, he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces and served in the armored corps. After his discharge he studied philosophy and history at Tel-Aviv University. He continued his studies in France (Grenoble), also residing for a time in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Tsalka taught at Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Universities, and was writer-in-residence at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was also literary advisor to the Players` Stage Theater and editor of the literary journal Masa. Tsalka published six novels, eight books of short stories, three books of poetry, three collections of essays, an autobiography and three children`s books. He received several awards, including the Brenner Prize (1976), the Alterman Prize (1992), the ACUM prize twice (1994, 2000) and the Sapir Prize for Tsalka`s ABC (2004).