Zahavi's first novel,
Dirty Weekend (1991), caused a media storm on publication: critical reaction was extreme and polarised. A half-page article in
The Sunday Times questioning the book's morality and the author's sanity set the tone for much of the press comment that followed. The book was attacked by
Salman Rushdie, defended by
Naomi Wolf, and analysed at length in both the broadsheet and popular press. Despite initial media hostility, the book went on to be a strong seller in the UK and in Europe.
Dirty Weekend has been translated into 13 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Czech and Korean. It was shortlisted for the
Whitbread First Novel Award and adapted as a film by
Michael Winner, the director of
Death Wish. Zahavi has a screen credit as co-writer and appeared with Winner on an edition of the
Channel 4 discussion programme
After Dark alongside, among others, the father of the so-called
Yorkshire Ripper. Zahavi has written three further novels –
True Romance (1994),
Donna and the Fatman (1998), and
Brighton Boy (2013) – which have been widely reviewed and translated. ==Awards and nominations==