Nathan Alterman
Nathan Alterman | |
---|---|
Born | Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire | August 14, 1910
Died | March 28, 1970 Tel Aviv, Israel | (aged 59)
Occupation | poet, translator, playwright, journalist |
Language | Russian, Hebrew, German, French, English, Polish |
Nationality | Israeli (since 1948) |
Literary movement | Yakhdav (led by Avraham Shlonsky) |
Spouse | Rachel Marcus Tzila Binder |
Children | Tirza Atar |
Nathan Alterman (
Biography
Nathan Alterman was born in
When he was 19 years old, he travelled to Paris to study at the University of Paris (a.k.a. La Sorbonne), but a year later he decided to go to Nancy to study agronomy. Though maintaining close contacts with his family and friends in Tel Aviv and visiting them on vacations, Alterman spent three years in France and was highly influenced by his occasional meetings with French artists and writers. On his return to Tel Aviv in 1932, he started working at the Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school, but soon left it in favour of working as a journalist and poet.
In 1933, when Alterman was 33 years old, he joined the literary circle "Together" (Hebrew: יחדיו). Members of that literary group published the literary magazine "Columns" (Hebrew: טורים) and rebelled against the literary establishment of that time, identified with the poet Hayim Nahman Bialik and his followers.
On the 22nd of August, 1934, he married Rachel Marcus, an actress in "The Cameri Theatre" (Hebrew: התיאטרון הקאמרי) In January 1941 their only daughter was born: Tirtza Atar, who would grow up to become a poetess herself.
Alterman is credited with bringing the seeds of the marmande tomato to Israel, where it was the main species cultivated in the country until the 1960s.[1]
Literary career
In 1933, when he was 23 years old, Alterman began to write songs for the vaudeville theatre "The Broom" (Hebrew: המטאטא)."[2]
In 1934, he began to publish in the daily newspaper Davar a rhymed column named "Tel Aviv Sketches" (Hebrew: סקיצות תל אביביות). that addressed current affairs and during four months 26 of these rhymed columns were published.
In November 1934 he left Davar and began to publish in the daily newspaper Haaretz a similar column named "Moments" (Hebrew: רגעים) but this time the columns had a less lyrical and more satirical nature, and he continued to publish these columns for eight years during which he published a total of 297 columns.
Alterman's first published book of poetry was Kokhavim Bakhuts ("Stars Outside"), published in 1938. This volume, with its "neo-romantic themes, highly charged texture, and metrical virtuosity,"[3] as Israeli critic Benjamin Harshav puts it, established him as a major force in modern Hebrew literature.
His next major book was "The Joy of the Poor" (Hebrew: שִׂמְחת עניים ṡimḥàt aniyím, 1941). This is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria consisting of 31 interconnected poems, all from the viewpoint of the ghost of a dead man obsessed with the living woman he loves – a reversal of the Orpheus and Eurydice story. The dead man wants to protect his living love from war and poverty, but more than anything he wants to drag her into his world. His plans are continually frustrated. The light from a humble candle is enough to drive him back. The story reads like a supernatural thriller, but the rhyme and the meters are regular and elegant.
In 1942, when the first news about the
In 1943, he also wrote a poem that was critical of Pope
In 1945–1947, Alterman's weekly column in the Labour Movement "Davar" newspaper denounced the British army's oppressive measures and praising the illegal immigrant boats landing Jewish holocaust survivors on the country's shores, in defiance of British policy. The most well-known of these is the 1945 "In Praise of an Italian Captain" (Hebrew: נאום תשובה לרב חובל איטלקי).[6]
In the early stages of the
He also wrote One from the GHL (GHL is a Hebrew acronym for overseas draft), which refers to the nearly 20,000 of Holocaust survivors and other Jewish refugees who immigrated to the newly created State of Israel and were immediately drafted into the Israel Defense Forces and sent to the front lines. They had no military training and some 300 died in battle shortly after their immigration to Israel. The poem was published in Davar on the last day of the war, in protest of the inhumane treatment of these soldiers. The poem contrasts the sacrifice of these soldiers with the pretension of the state to be a safe homeland for Jewish refugees.
Later the poem was set to music by
Alterman translated
Some of Alterman's poems have been turned into popular songs, e.g., "A meeting with no end" (פגישה לאין קץ). An episode in Season 3 of the Israeli Netflix show Shtisel is named after one of his poems, "First Smile," which is read at a memorial service during the show.[7] An English-language translation of "First Smile" by Robert Friend (from Found in Translation, Toby Press, 2006) is also included in the episode.
Political activism
During the 1950s, Alterman was opposed to the martial law imposed at the time on Israel's Arab citizens (until 1966), and was also strongly supportive of workers' struggle such as the 1952 sailors' strike which was suppressed by the Ben Gurion Government.
After the Six-Day War, Alterman was one of the founders of the Movement for Greater Israel finding himself in alliance with right-wing activists whom he greatly opposed in earlier times of his career. He criticized David Ben-Gurion (who only held at the time the position of a Knesset member, but was still influential) for being too willing to give up the territories captured during the war in return for a peace agreement.
Awards and recognition
Alterman has been featured on Israel's NIS 200 bill since 2016.[8]
- In 1946, Alterman received the Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare.
- In 1947, he received the Ruppin Prize for his book "Joy of the Poor".
- In 1957, Alterman was awarded the Bialik Prize for literature.[9]
- In 1967, he again received the Tchernichovsky Prize, for translations of the plays of Moliere.
- In 1968, he was awarded the Israel Prize, for literature.[10]
- In 2011, his portrait was chosen to be on Israel's currency.[11]
Books (Hebrew)
Poetry
- Stars Outside (Hebrew: כוכבים בחוץ). Yachdav Publishing, 1938; Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1945; Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1995
- Joy of the Poor (Hebrew: שמחת עניים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1941
- Plague Poems (Hebrew: שירי מכות מצרים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1944
- The Seventh Column [vol. 1] (Hebrew: הטור השביעי : שירי העת והעתון). Am Oved Publishing, 1948; New editions: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2003; 2004
- The Seventh Column [vol. 2] (Hebrew: הטור השביעי : שירי העת והעתון, ספר שני). Davar, 1954
- City of the Dove (Hebrew: עיר היונה). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1957
- Poems of Ten Brothers (Hebrew: שיר עשרה אחים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1961
- Summer Celebration (Hebrew: חגיגת קיץ). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1965
- Pythagoras' Trial (Hebrew: משפט פיתגורס). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1965
- Moments (Hebrew: רגעים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1974
- The Silver Platter: Selected Poems (Hebrew: מגש הכסף : מבחר שירים). Ministry of Defense, 1974
- The Front Stand (Hebrew: העמדה הקדמית : משירי העת והעתון). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1980
- From: Stars Outside, Joy of the Poor, Plague Poems, City of the Dove (Hebrew: מתוך ׳כוכבים בחוץ׳, ׳שמחת עניים׳, ׳שירי מכות מצרים׳, ׳עיר היונה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1980
- Poems 1931-1935 (Hebrew: שירים 1935-1931). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1984
- In Praise of Frivolity (Hebrew: שבחי קלות הדעת). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1997
- Poems of Yore (Hebrew: שירים שמכבר). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1999
- The Seventh Column : Israeli Art from the Benno Kalev's Collection (Hebrew: הטור השביעי : אמנות ישראלית מאוסף בנו כלב). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2000
Plays
- Kinneret, Kinneret (Hebrew: כנרת, כנרת). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1962
- Ghosts' Inn (Hebrew: פונדק הרוחות). Amikam, 1963
- Esther the Queen (Hebrew: אסתר המלכה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1966
- Last Days of Ur (Hebrew: ימי אור האחרונים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1990
Children-Picture Books
- The Tenth Chick (Hebrew: האפרוח העשירי). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1943; new editions - Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1973, 2005
- The Singing Book of Friendship (Hebrew: ספר התבה המזמרת). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1958
- The Puzzle Book (Hebrew: ספר החידות). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971
- To Children (Hebrew: לילדים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1972
- Og King of Bashan (Hebrew: עוג מלך הבשן). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1975, new edition 2011
- Rhymes for children (Hebrew: חרוזים לילדים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, ;1976 new edition 2002
- What a Wonder (Hebrew: איזה פלא). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1983
- A Tale of a Small Chirik (Hebrew: מעשה בחיריק קטן). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2003
- A Tale of a Final Pe (Hebrew: מעשה בפ"א סופית). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2000
- It All Happened at Hannuka (Hebrew: זה היה בחנכה, או, נס גדול היה פה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2001
Songs
- Love Poems (Hebrew: שירי אהבה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1998
- Tel-Aviv Serenade (Hebrew: סרנדה תל-אביבית). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1999
- You Should Ring Twice (Hebrew: צריך לצלצל פעמיים : שירי-זמר, שירי-ספר, פזמונים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Israel Broadcasting Authority , 2002
Satire
- The Final Mask (Hebrew: המסכה האחרונה). Maariv, 1968
Non-Fiction
- Breaking the Circle (Hebrew: במעגל : מאמרים ורשימות, תרצ״ב־תשכ״ח). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971
- The Triangular Thread (Hebrew: החוט המשולש). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971
- The Alterman Notebooks [Vol A] (Hebrew: מחברות אלתרמן, כרך א׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House together with Katz Research Institute for Hebrew Literature, Tel-Aviv University, 1977
- Little Tel Aviv (Hebrew: תל־אביב הקטנה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1979
- The Alterman Notebooks [Vol B] (Hebrew: מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ב׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House and Mosad Alterman, 1979
- The Alterman Notebooks [Vol C] (Hebrew: מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ג׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House and Mosad Alterman, 1981
- Between the Poet and the Statesman (Hebrew: בין המשורר למדינאי). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1981, ext. ed. Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1986
- The Alterman Notebooks [Vol D] (Hebrew: מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ד׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1986
- Both Roads (Hebrew: על שתי הדרכים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1989
- Essays and Articles (Hebrew: סער ופרץ : פרוזה ומאמרים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2019
See also
- List of Bialik Prize recipients
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- Arik Einstein performing Nathan Alterman's (and Naomi Shemer's) "Meeting without end" on YouTube
References
- ^ Salad Days, Haaretz
- doi:10.1080/0449010X.2011.10707132 (inactive January 31, 2024))
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ISBN 978-0804755122
- ^ Nathan Alterman's 1943 maqama "The Swedish Tongue", translated by Ghil'ad Zuckermann.
- ^ Yad Vashem: Our Info on Pius XII Based on 'Best Research'
- ^ Song of the "Illegals". The Canadian Jewish Chronicle, August 23, 1946, page 12. Includes an English translation.
- ^ "First Smile." Shtisel, created by Yehonatan Indursky and Ori Elon, season 3, episode 4, yes Studios, 2021.
- ^ New NIS 200 bill featuring poet Nathan Alterman to debut in early 2016
- ^ "List of Bialik Prize recipients 1933–2004 (in Hebrew), Tel Aviv Municipality website" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2007.
- ^ "Israel Prize Official Site – Recipients in 1968 (in Hebrew)".
- ^ Nadav Shemer, Jerusalem Post, 3/10/2011
Further reading
- ISBN 0-8143-2485-1
External links
- Nathan Alterman at Poetry International's website. Includes links to Moon, The Killers of the Fields and On the Highroad. Nathan Alterman, Poetry International's website, at the Wayback Machine
- Bottomless Deep: Moshe Dayan on Alterman at Poetry International's website
- Erlich, Tsur Nathan the Wise - Natan Alterman, poet of Zionism, offered a bold new vision of Jewish national identity. Azure no. 28, Spring 5767/2007 at AzureOnline
- Israel and Zionism - Alterman, Natan (1910-1970) Poet, Journalist, and Translator
- Neverending Meeting - Yossi Banai reads Nathan Alterman