Amir Or (; born 1956), is an Israeli poet, novelist, and essayist whose works have been published in more than 50 languages. Levin, Lynn, "Israeli Poet Amir Or: A Conversation About Language, Myth, and the Soul" at the "Poetry Life and Times" Web site, accessed December 10, 2006 He is the author of thirteen volumes of poetry. His most recent books in Hebrew are ''Loot'' (selected poems 1977–2013), ''Wings'' (2015) and ''Child'' (2018). Or also published a fictional epic in metered prose, ''The Song of Tahira'' (2001) and the novel ''The Kingdom'' (2015) about the life of king David and contemporary society.

Biography

Amir Or was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. He has worked as a shepherd, builder and restaurateur.
Artvilla.com Web site, Web page titled "Amir Or -- Bio:", accessed December 10, 2006 He studied philosophy and comparative religion at the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, where he later lectured on Ancient Greek Religion. Or has published essays on poetry, classics and comparative religion, and has taught creative writing in universities in Israel, Europe, USA and Japan.

Literary career

In 1990 Or founded "Helicon Poetry Society" in Israel and has been Editor-in-Chief of Helicon's journal and series of poetry books. In 1993 he set up the Arabic-Hebrew Helicon Poetry School and has founded and directed the Sha’ar International Poetry Festival. Or has also edited other literary journals and several anthologies of Hebrew verse in European languages. He serves as editor of the Catuv poetry books series, as national editor of the international poetry magazines Atlas and Blesok, and as a national coordinator for the U.N. sponsored UPC venture, “Poets for Peace.” He is a founding memberof the EACWP (European Association of Creative Writing Programs) of the international Circle of Poets and of the WPM (World Poetry Movement). Or gave readings and lectured in poetry festivals and conferences worldwide.

Awards and recognition

Or is the 2020 SPE Golden Wreath laureate. His other awards include the Levi Eshkol Prime Minister's Prize, the

Harry Harshon prize, the

Bernstein Prize The Bernstein Prize is an annual Israeli literary award for writers 50 years of age and younger. The prize is awarded by the Bernstein Foundation, named after Mordechai Bernstein, who left money in his estate to establish a foundation in order to ...

, the Fulbright Award for writers, the 2010 Oeneumi literary prize of the Tetovo Poetry Festival, the 2013 Wine Poetry prize of the Struga Poetry Evenings, the 2014 Stefan Mirtov Ljubiša international literary award, the 2016 European Atlas of Lyrics award, the 2017 BlueMet World Through Poetry award, the 2019 Homer European Medal of Poetry and Art, the 2020 ACUM Directorate prize, the 2021 Wladislaw Reimont and Ianicius awards, Poland, "for his contribution to world poetry" and the 2022 Shabdha Guchha award, NY, USA; as well as Fellowships at the University of Iowa, the Jewish-Hebrew Centre of the University of Oxford, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Literarische Colloquium, Berlin among others. For his translations he was awarded the 1995 Honorary Prize of the Israeli Minister of Culture and for his editorial work - the 2017 literary editing award of the Israeli Minister of Culture .

Published works

Or published 13 poetry books, 2 novels, a book of essays and 11 books of his translations to Hebrew. His work was translated to more than 50 languages and published in 45 books in Europe, America and Asia.

Hebrew books

* ''Tsama'' (Thirst), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2025 * ''Yeled'' (Child), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2018 * ''Al Ha-derekh'' (On The Road), Pardes, 2018 * ''Sikha'' (Discourse), Essays, Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2018 * ''HaMamlakha'' (The Kingdom), Novel, Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2015 * ''Knafayim'' (Wings), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2015 * ''Shalal'' (Loot) Selected poems 1977–2013, Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2013 * ''Masa HaMeshuga'' (The Madman's Prophecy), Keshev, 2012 * ''HaHaya SheBalev'' (The Animal in the Heart). Keshev, 2010 * ''Muzeion Hazman'' (The Museum of Time). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2007 * ''Shir Tahira'' (The Song of Tahira). Novel, Xargol, 2001. * ''Yom'' (Day). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad & Tag, 1998. * ''Shir'' (Poem). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1996. * ''Kakha'' (So!). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1995. * ''Pidyon ha-met''. (Ransoming The Dead), Helicon-Bitan, 1994. * ''Panim'' (Faces). Am Oved, 1991. * ''Ani mabbit me-‛eyney ha-qofim'' (I Look Through The Monkeys’ Eyes). Eqed, 1987.

Books in translation

* ''Language Says'', selected poems 1977-2019, Spanish (El idioma dice), translated by Gerardo Lewin, Valparaiso Ediciones, Granada, Spain 2023 * ''Child'', English, translated by

Seth Michelson Seth Michelson (born 1975), is an United States poetry, American poet, translator, and professor of poetry. Background He received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, his MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. in Comparative ...

(Broken Sleep Books, 2023) * ''Duet of Dawn'', Japanese (Akatsuki no Nijuso 暁の二重奏), translated by Maki Starfield, Junpa Books, Tokyo 2023 * ''Haiku Travelogue'', French (Haiku du Bord du Chemin), translated by Benjamin Boulitrop, Voix d'Encre, Montelimar, 2022 * ''Amir Or, Selected Poems, The Golden Wreath Book'', Hebrew/English/Macedonian, translated to Macedonian by Zoran Ancevski (SPE, Struga 2021) * ''Sand and Time'', Persian, (Shen O Zaman), selected poems, translated by Rosa Jamali, (8 Publishing, Ahvaz 2021) * ''The Museum of Time'', Greek (To Mouseio Xronou), translated by Anastassis Vistonitis, (Bakxikon, Athens 2020) * ''Wings'', French (Ailes), translated by

Michel Eckhart Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

(maelstrÖm reEvolution, Brussels, 2020) * ''Haiku Travelogue'', French (Haiku du Bord du Chemin), translated by Benjamin Boulitrop (Aleph, Paris, 2020) * ''The Right View'' (A paisagem correta) into Portuguese by

Moacir Amancio Moacir, also spelled Moacyr ( or ), is a Brazilian masculine given name of Indigenous origin (from de Tupi–Guarani languages) and a character of the Brazilian novel Iracema. Notable people with the name include: * Moacir Barbosa Nascimento (1921 ...

(Relicário Edições, São Paulo, 2020) * ''Language Says'' (Zaban Manshourist) into Persian by Rosa Jamali (Mehrodel Publication, Teheran, 2020) * ''Between Here and There (Entre ici et là)'', into French by

Michel Eckhard Elial Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

, (Éditions Érès, Toulouse, 2019) * ''More (Selected Poems)'', into Georgian by

Nika Jorjaneli Nika may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nika (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Nika (surname), a list of people * Nika King, stage name of 21st century American actres ...

, Nodar Dumbadze Publishers, Tbilisi, 2018 * ''Wings'', into English by

, Sagging Meniscus, New York 2018 * ''Loot'' (Selectet Poems), English, Dhauli Books, Bhubaneswar 2018 * ''Say and I'll be'', into Serbian by

Vida Ognjenović Vida Ognjenović ( sr-cyr, Вида Огњеновић, ; born 14 August 1941) is a Serbian theater director, playwright, writer, drama professor and diplomat. Biography Ognjenović completed primary education in the town of Vrbas, before going ...

and

David Albahari David Albahari (, ; 15 March 1948 – 30 July 2023) was a Serbian writer. Albahari wrote mainly novels and short stories in the Serbian language. He was also an established translator from English into Serbian language, Serbian. He was a member of ...

(Reci i Ja Ću Biti), Arhipelag, Belgrade 2017 *''Lessons'', (Učne Ure) into Slovenian, (Beletrina libri, Ljubljana 2017) *''Language Says – selected poems'', (ЕЗИКЪТ КАЗВА) into Bulgarian by

Antonia Apostolova Antonia may refer to: People * Antonia (name), including a list of people with the name * Antonia gens, a Roman family, any woman of the gens was named ''Antonia'' * Antônia (footballer) * Antônia Melo Entertainment * ''Antonia's Line'', ori ...

and Robert Levy, (Da Publishers, Sofia 2017) * ''The Museum of Time – selected poems'', (时间博物馆) into Chinese, by Wang Hao (FLTRP, Beijing 2017) * ''The Kingdom'' Part 1: The Runnaway, into English by

Anthony Berris Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants ...

(Amazon 2017) * ''Dédale'' (The Maze); into French, by

Isabelle Dotan Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

(maelstrÖm reEvolution, Brussels 2016) * ''Reci i Ja Ću Biti'' (Say And I'll Be); into Serbian, by

and

, (Kuća poezije, Banja Luka 2016) * ''Krila'' (Wings) into Serbian, by

, (Arhipelag, Belgrade 2016) * ''Dia>Logos''; into English. Selected poems, (ArtAArk, Delhi/London/NY 2015) * ''Muzei Vremena'' (The Museum of Time); into Serbian, by

and

,(Arhipelag, Belgrade 2015) * ''Twarze'' (Faces); into Polish by

Beata Tarnowska Beata or Beate is a female given name or Portuguese surname that occurs in several cultures and languages, including Italian, German, Polish, and Swedish, and which is derived from the Latin ''beatus'', meaning " blessed".''Behind the Name' ...

, (Z bliska, Goldap 2014) * ''Tredici Poesie'' (Thirteen Poems); into Italian by

Paolo Ruffilli Paolo is a masculine given name, the Italian form of the name Paul. It may refer to: People Art * Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American sculptor * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter * Paolo Antonio Barbieri (1603–1649), Ital ...

, (The Writer publications, Milan 2014) * ''Mucize ve Yağma'' (Miracle and Loot); into Turkish by Ulker Ince, (Şiirden Yayıncılık, Istanbul 2014) * ''Să Te Vorbim Pe Tine'' (Let's Speak you); into Romanian by

Ioana Ieronim Ioana or Oana is a female given name of Romanian origin. It is the equivalent of the English name Joan, and the male version John, all of which derive from the Hebrew name Yohanan. A common diminutive is Ionela. People with this name include: ...

, trilingual e-book with new translations, Romanian/English/Hebrew, (Contemporary Literature Press, The University of Bucharest, in conjunction with The British Council, Bucharest 2014) http://editura.mttlc.ro/carti/Amir%20Or.%20Let's%20Speak%20You.%20CLP.pdf * ''Le Musée de Temps'' (The Museum of Time); into French by

Aurélia Lassaque Aurelia (also spelled Aurelía, Aurélia or Aurelija) is a feminine given name from the Latin family name Aurelius, which was derived from ''aureus'' meaning "golden". The name began from early saints. Aurelia may refer to: Pre-modern world * ...

and

Jacques Rancourt Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

, (Editions de l'Amandier, Paris 2013) * ''Milagro'' (Miracle); into Spanish by

Karla Coreas Karla may refer to: People * Karla (name), a feminine given name * Petras Karla (1937–1969), Soviet Olympic rower Places * Karla, Greece, a town in Rigas Feraios municipality of Magnesia * Karla, Kose Parish, a village in Kose Parish, Harj ...

,(Sur Editores, Havana 2013) * ''Der museum van de tijd'' (The Museum of Time); into Dutch by

Peter Boreas Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, (Azul press, Maastricht, Amsterdam 2012) * ''Pohara'' (Loot);into Serbian by

and

,(Arhipelag publishers, Belgrade 2012) * ''Miracle/The Hours, Milagro/Las Horas''; into Spanish by

, (Urpi Editores, NY 2011) * ''Plates from the Museum of Time'' (ArtAark, New Delhi, New York, London 2009) * ''Day'' — into English by

Fiona Sampson Fiona Ruth Sampson (born 1963) is a British poet, literary biographer, writer on ecology, editor, translator and scholar. She was appointed an MBE for services to literature in 2017. Early life Sampson was born in London, England, and was ra ...

, (Dedalus, Dublin, 2006) * ''Wiersz'' (Poem); into Polish by

, (Portret, Olsztyn 2006) * ''Să Te Vorbim Pe Tine'' (Let's Speak You); into Romanian by

, (Vinea Press, Buchaest 2006) * ''Poem'', into English by

Helena Berg Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places Places Greece * Helena ( ...

, (Dedalus, Dublin 2004, Romanian and Polish editions 2006) * ''Language Says'', English (Chattanooga, PM publications, Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, 2001) * ''Davej se, disam ziva voda'' (Drowning, He Breaths Living Water) — into Macedonian by

Bogomil Gjuzel Bogomil Gjuzel (; ; ; 9 February 1939 – 22 April 2021) was a Macedonian poet, writer, playwright and translator. Biography Born in 1939 in Čačak, Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Bulgarian parents, Gjuzel was the son of the Bulgarian revolutionary ...

and Zoran Ancevski; (The Pleiades Series of Struga Poetry Festival, 2000) * ''Miracle''; English/Hebrew by

Theo Dorgan Theo Dorgan is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer, translator, librettist and documentary screenwriter. He lives in Dublin. Life Dorgan was born in Cork in 1953 being the second child born into a family of eight boys and eight girls to par ...

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

and Mcdara Woods (Poetry Ireland, Dublin, 1998) * ''As-sha‛ru Fattatu l-Mujrimin'' (Poetry is a Criminal Girl); into Arabic by Reuven Snir (Faradis publishers, Paris, 1995)

Or's translations into Hebrew

* ''The

Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical Logia, sayings gospel. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate the works ...

'' (1992), * ''Limb-Loosening Desire'' (An Anthology of Erotic Greek Poetry 1993) * ''Stories From The

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

'' (1998) * ''Lizard '' by

Banana Yoshimoto is the pen name of Japanese writer . From 2002 to 2015, she wrote her name in hiragana (). Biography Yoshimoto was born in Tokyo on July 24, 1964, and grew up in a progressive family. Her father was the poet and critic Takaaki Yoshimoto, and he ...

(1998, with Akiko Takahashi) * ''To a Woman'' by Shuntaro Tanikawa (2000, with Akiko Takahashi) * ''The Distance Between Us ''by

(2008) * ''The Song of The Salamander'' by

(2014) * ''Mara's Ghost'' by Anastassis Vistonitis (2016) * ''Bitter Buckwheat'' by

Jidi Madjia Jidi may refer to: * Jidi, Azerbaijan, a village in Gəgiran, Lankaran Rayon, Azerbaijan * Jidi (cartoonist), Chinese cartoonist {{dab ...

(2016) * ''From The Hebrew Side - selected translations'' (2017) * ''The Song of God - Bhagavad Gita'' (2024)

References

External links

AMIR OR SITE

Poetry Life & Times Web site: "Israeli Poet Amir Or: A Conversation About Language, Myth, and the Soul" by Lynn Levin

Article by Amir Or, "Hebrew Poetry in the New Millennium" at Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site

Article on Or's poetry by Ariel Hirschfeld, "On the connection between ‘I’ and ‘you’ and the development of the poet from one book to the next"

Article on Or's poem, "A Glass of Beer", by Rami Saari, "I step into your shoes and become a part of you"

Poetry online

"Shaharit (Morning Prayer)"

"POEM" (translated from Hebrew by Helena Berg)

"POEM" (long version; translated from Hebrew by Helena Berg)

"The Barbarians (Round Two)" (translated by Vivian Eden)

"Blue Job" (translated by Vivian Eden)

"A Glass of Beer"

"Epitaph" (translated by Vivian Eden)

"I Look Through the Monkeys’ Eyes" (translated by Irit Sela)

ntitled(first line: "There's a speed in which things calm down.") {{DEFAULTSORT:Or, Amir 20th-century Israeli poets Hebrew-language poets Modern Hebrew writers Living people Bernstein Prize recipients International Writing Program alumni 21st-century Israeli poets Israeli male poets 20th-century Israeli male writers 21st-century Israeli male writers 1956 births