Erez Biton ( he, ארז ביטון; born 1942 in Oran,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

) is an Algerian-born Israeli poet of

Moroccan Moroccan may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to the country of Morocco * Moroccan people * Moroccan Arabic, spoken in Morocco * Moroccan Jews See also * Morocco leather Morocco leather (also known as Levant, the French Maro ...

descent. He is the 2015 recipient of the Israel Prize for Hebrew Literature and Poetry, among other literary awards.

Biography

Erez Biton was born in Oran in a

Moroccan Jewish Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...

family. His family fled

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

in 1948, and made

aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

to Israel. He grew up in

Lod Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...

. At the age of 10, he lost his vision and his left hand to a stray

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern ...

that he had found. The following year he went to school at Jerusalem's Institute for the Blind. He earned a B.A. in

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

from the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public university, public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein ...

and an M.A. in psychology at

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic ...

. Biton is married to Rachel Calahorra Biton and the couple have two children.

Career

Following his studies, Biton worked as a social worker in

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border ...

for seven years and as a psychologist in an outlying town. He worked as a journalist and published a weekly column in the Israeli mainstream daily ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and ''Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

''. His first book, ''Mincha Marokait'' (Moroccan Gift), published in 1976, established him as the founding father of Mizrahi poetry in Israel.

Published works

Poetry

*''Mincha Maroka'it'' ( he, מנחה מרוקאית) "Moroccan Gift," Eked, 1976 *''Sefer Hana'na'' ( he, ספר הנענע) "The Book of Mint," Eked, 1979 *''Tsipor bein Yabashot'' ( he, ציפור בין יבשות) "Intercontinental Bird", 1990 *''Timbisert, Tsipor Maroka'it'' ( he, תמביסרת, ציפור מרוקאית), "Timbisert, a Moroccan Bird", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2009 *''Nofim Khavushei Einayim'' ( he, נופים חבושי עיניים) "Blindfolded Landscapes", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2013 *''Bet Hapsanterim'' (Hebrew: בית הפסנתרים) "The House of Pianos", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2015

Drama

*''Sulika'' ( he, סוליקה) "Soulika", Snir, 2005

Awards and recognition

*(2015) Biton was awarded the Israel Prize for Literature, the first

Mizrahi ''Mizrachi'' or ''Mizrahi'' ( he, מזרחי) has two meanings. In the literal Hebrew meaning ''Eastern'', it may refer to: *Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Middle East * Mizrahi (surname), a Sephardic surname, given to Jews who got to the Iberian ...

Jew to receive it. The prize committee described his poems as being "the epitome of courageous dealings, sensitive and deep with a wide range of personal and collective experiences centered around the pain of migration, planting roots in the country, and the reestablishment of the Mizrahi identity as an integral part of the overall Israeli portrait.” *(2014)

Bialik Prize The Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, ...

for Lifetime Achievement *(2014) Yehuda Amichai Prize *(1988) Prime Minister's Prize *(1982) Miriam Talpir Prize

References

External links

Biography and bibliography
at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature
Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World
by Stanley Nash, p 6 sq {{DEFAULTSORT:Biton, Erez Israeli poets Israeli columnists Israeli social workers 1942 births Living people Bar-Ilan University alumni Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare alumni Algerian people of Moroccan-Jewish descent Algerian emigrants to Israel Israeli blind people Israel Prize in Hebrew poetry recipients