DANIEL ISRAEL

A few years after completing his MA in Film and TV Studies in 2004, Daniel moved from the UK to the Netherlands in 2007. Fast forward another few years, and shortly after successfully obtaining his CELTA (Cambridge English Language Teaching for Adults) in 2010, Daniel Israel started up D.I. Linguistic Solutions on 16 November 2011 in Leiden, the Netherlands. Since then, Daniel has taught 7000+ hours EFL (English as a Foreign Language) mainly to adults.

As a dedicated, determined and driven character, Daniel wrote, edited and, in April 2017, independently published The EFL Teacher's Handbook. In 2018 he passed DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching) module 1, self-published his second book: The EFL Teacher's Companion and, hard on its heels, EFL Resources: 20 Writing Assignments. The latest teaching-related enterprise is EFL Blogs (2019), which follows on from the first two books, and features interviews with 5 legendary linguists (Thornbury, Crystal, Larsen-Freeman, Ur and Swan) with two brand new sections entitled: Student Psychology and Tricky Situations Teachers May Face.

Daniel has followed on from his film background to write Top 100 Films: Film Criticism, Trivia and Lists (2020) and as a homage to the beat generation writer Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) - beginning as creative fiction for his earlier memories - World Traveller (2020) - which covers 52 countries across 5 continents - then its a travel autobiography as recollections become more lucid.

Catharsis (2021) marks the screenwriting debut of the author. The writer’s memories of past events are recounted in an episodic, experimental fashion in an original screenplay based on true events. The story is split into four chapters with its themes overlapping chronologically. Often with minimalist dialogue, actions frequently speak louder than words.

Homage (2022), pays tribute to legendary French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-1973). Honing in on his 8 crime films, this is both an exercise in creative screenwriting and a feature length screenplay. With rewritten dialogue, a new plotline running throughout, as well as a fantasy dream sequence that includes a visit to an imaginary shrink and a pretend interview, Homage also explores the auteurs' fascinating persona.

Do I Amuse You? (2023) is a feature length original screenplay filled with comedy sketches. The ten acts are as follows: 1. Cultural Differences - where expats living in the Netherlands struggle to adapt to the culture 2. Culture Shock - where a pair of intrepid travellers soak up the culture and make acute observations wherever they go 3. First Date Etiquette follows a lonely bachelor whose first dates aren't always a success 4. Lager Louts gives an insight into hoodlums' antics 5. Politicians Can't Be Trusted shows exactly that 6. Road Rage - where one of the road ragers has an unexpected identity 7. Silent Section shows that with the best intentions it is almost impossible to keep the silence sometimes 8. Snobbery - where a snobby couple spread their unique brand of snobbishness 9. Teachers Don't Do it For the Money pokes fun at the Dutch Minister of Education and the way teachers are sadly mistreated in the Netherlands and 10. Tourist Traps - where a series of tricks fool unsuspecting tourists.

The Occupation of South Holland (2024): between 1940-1945 the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis. Focusing on the province of South Holland, this original feature length screenplay uses strong foundations of factual information regarding occurrences during this period, key people involved (and their functions) and aims to capture the times to help future generations never to forget what happened and to try to understand how various elements occurred. The reader is asked to suspend disbelief regarding dialogue, which is written by the author with the exception of certain quotes from the Nuremberg trials (as indicated). Chapters include: Invasion, Realm Commissioner, Dutch resistance, Deportations, Atlantic wall, V2 rockets, Friendly fire, Oranje hotel, Liberation and Nuremberg trials.

Paulista Kingpin (2025) is a debut crime fiction novel set in South America. Alberto from Sao Paolo, much to his parents' disgust, works his way up to become a drug lord. Will he ever make amends for all the pain he has caused? His journey involves a relationship with a bisexual motorcycle chick, outsmarting dangerous rivals and a path to redemption in the unlikeliest of places. Themes explored also include obsession, morality, relentlessness and forgiveness. This unorthodox tale is spun with style and panache by this prolific author, who, incidentally, fell in love with this continent from an early age.