Modern Hebrew Poetry
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Modern Hebrew poetry is poetry written in the
Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...
. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto is considered one of the earliest modern Hebrew poets.


History

Modern Hebrew poetry was promoted by the
Haskalah The ''Haskalah'' (; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), often termed the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Wester ...
movement. The first Haskalah poet, who heavily influenced the later poets, was Naphtali Hirz Wessely at the end of the 18th century. After him came Shalom HaCohen, Other pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry are
Max Letteris Meïr Halevi (Max) Letteris (; 13 September 1800 – 19 May 1871) was an Austrians, Austrian poet, editor, and translator of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Galician Haskala. He translated into Hebrew language, Hebrew works by Virgil, Lucian ...
, Abraham Dob Bär Lebensohn and his son Micah Joseph, and Judah Leib Gordon. Haskalah poetry was greatly influenced by contemporary European poetry, as well as the poetry of the previous ages, especially Biblical poetry and
pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anim ...
. It was mostly a didactic form of poetry, and dealt with the world, the public, and contemporary trends, but not the individual. A secular Galician Jew, Naftali Herz Imber, wrote the lyrics to HaTikva in 1878; this later became the national anthem of
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. After the Haskalah, many of the leading modern Hebrew poets were associated with Hovevei Zion. They included Shaul Tchernihovsky and Haim Nahman Bialik, who would later be considered Israel's
national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...
. They let go of the genre principles that were widely accepted at their time, and began writing personal poems, about the human being and the soul. In the
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
national revival period, many arose as the literary heirs to Bialik, and the focal point of Hebrew poetry moved from Europe to the land of Israel. Women became prominent poets ( Yokheved Bat Miryam, Esther Raab,
Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...
and others). An expressionist genre also developed, as exemplified by Uri Zvi Greenberg and David Fogel. In the 1930s and 1940s, a neo-symbolic style emerged as well, in Avraham Shlonsky, then Nathan Alterman, and then the Palmach age. In the 1950s and 1960s, poets who had been raised or born in Israel ( British Mandate of Palestine) were active. The poets Natan Zakh, David Avidan, Yehuda Amihai, Dan Pagis and Dahlia Ravikovitch rebelled against the style of Shlonsky and Alterman. At the same time a line of religious poets led by such figures as Yosef Zvi Rimon and Zelda emerged. These movements continue to be active to the present day.


See also

* Ars poetica (Israel)


References


Further reading

* Avidov Lipsker, ''Red Poem\ Blue Poem: Seven Essays on Uri Zvi Grinberg and Two Essays on Else Lasker-Schüler'', Bar Ilan University Press, Ramat-Gan 2010.


External links


Poems by Avot Yeshurun (1904–1992)
one of the major figures in Twentieth century Hebrew poetry, translated by Lilach Lachman and Gabriel Levin. Featured in '' Parnassus: Poetry in Review'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Modern Hebrew Poetry Hebrew poetry Hebrew-language literature