Amos Bar
Encyclopedia
Amos Bar (October 15, 1931 – March 15, 2011), also known as "Possah", was an Israeli author
, teacher, and editor. Most of his books are for children and young adults.
Tel Adashim
, in the Jezreel Valley
, Israel
. At age 9, his family relocated to Tel Aviv
. His early life experiences are richly interlaced in his books. After graduating from high school in Tel Aviv, he enlisted in the IDF
and served in Nahlayim Mul Aza ("Nahal
soldiers opposite Gaza"), the country's first Nahal settlement
, which later became kibbutz Nahal Oz
. In 1951, he joined Kibbutz Revivim
in the Negev
. His first book The Little Tractor Driver was written in 1958, following his experiences as a farmer in the kibbutz fields. He continued to publish numerous children's books, stories and children's magazines, radio plays and scripts for children on radio
and television
. After graduating from the kibbutz seminary college and from Tel Aviv University
, he was a teacher
and an educator for many years.
In 1978, he assumed the editor-in-chief role of "Pashosh", a nature magazine for children published by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
, and remained its editor for 24 years. He also served as the editor of children's books in publishing houses: Schocken Books
, Hakibbutz Hameuchad -Sifriat Poalim Publishing Group, and Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
. Throughout the last two decades of his life he lived with his family in an Israeli community village, and held educational sessions with children and teenagers throughout Israel.
Amos Bar (Possah) died on March 15, 2011. He was the father of six and grandfather of four.
, its landscapes, and animals. His writing is characterized by a personal, smiling, and rogue style - seasoned with nostalgia and optimism. His strong affection for his characters is highly apparent in his books:
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, teacher, and editor. Most of his books are for children and young adults.
Biography
Amos Bar was born to Sarah and Pinhas Barber in moshavMoshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
Tel Adashim
Tel Adashim
Tel Adashim is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Afula, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 744....
, in the Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley
-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. At age 9, his family relocated to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. His early life experiences are richly interlaced in his books. After graduating from high school in Tel Aviv, he enlisted in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and served in Nahlayim Mul Aza ("Nahal
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
soldiers opposite Gaza"), the country's first Nahal settlement
Nahal settlement
Nahal settlements were settlements established by Nahal soldiers in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. Supporting Jewish settlement growth and expansion throughout Israel was once the main focus of the Nahal military brigade. The goal for every Nahal settlement was to become a civilian...
, which later became kibbutz Nahal Oz
Nahal Oz
Nahal Oz is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northwestern part of the Negev desert close to the border with the Gaza Strip and near the development towns of Sderot and Netivot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of...
. In 1951, he joined Kibbutz Revivim
Revivim
Revivim showers) is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Located around half an hour south of Beersheba, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council...
in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
. His first book The Little Tractor Driver was written in 1958, following his experiences as a farmer in the kibbutz fields. He continued to publish numerous children's books, stories and children's magazines, radio plays and scripts for children on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. After graduating from the kibbutz seminary college and from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, he was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and an educator for many years.
In 1978, he assumed the editor-in-chief role of "Pashosh", a nature magazine for children published by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel , or SPNI, is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and...
, and remained its editor for 24 years. He also served as the editor of children's books in publishing houses: Schocken Books
Schocken Books
Schocken Books is a publishing company that was established in Berlin with a publishing office in Prague in 1931 by the Schocken Department Store owner Salman Schocken. It published the writings of Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Franz Kafka and S. Y...
, Hakibbutz Hameuchad -Sifriat Poalim Publishing Group, and Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
-History:The company's oldest imprint, Dvir, was founded in Odessa in 1919 by Hayyim Nahman Bialik. After the Russian Revolution, Dvir moved to Berlin and in 1924, to Palestine. Machbarot Lesifrut, the company's imprint for world literature in translation, was established by Israel Zmora in 1939....
. Throughout the last two decades of his life he lived with his family in an Israeli community village, and held educational sessions with children and teenagers throughout Israel.
Amos Bar (Possah) died on March 15, 2011. He was the father of six and grandfather of four.
His Work
Amos Bar's books are inspired by his childhood experiences in the Land of IsraelLand of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
, its landscapes, and animals. His writing is characterized by a personal, smiling, and rogue style - seasoned with nostalgia and optimism. His strong affection for his characters is highly apparent in his books:
"Sometimes, early in the morning, for the sound of birdsong, I go back to the days of my childhood, seeing the sights of the world through the eyes of a child, hearing the sounds with child ears, and feeling everything with a child's heart. I instantly empathize with everything I tell about, from a tree and a flower to a bird, a deer or a dwarf; while writing I see them alive and perform tricks, hear them talk as human beings, and there is nothing I can do but write or tell what I see and feel ", described Amos his work process. "My childhood stories are written quickly and without difficulty. I simply remember clearly what happened to since I started to walk."
Awards
- In 1972, his book "I'm Running out of The Horse" was included in the list of honor of Hans Christian Andersen AwardHans Christian Andersen AwardThe Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...
. - In 1978, he won the Lamdan PrizeLamdan PrizeThe Lamdan Prize was an Israeli prize awarded annually, from 1954 to 1983, for literary works for children and youth.The prize was presented by the Ramat Gan Municipality in conjunction with the Hebrew Writers Association in Israel and was founded in the name of the Israeli poet and author Yitzhak...
for his book "Poretz Ha-Machsomim" ("Blockade Runner"), Sreberk, 1977. - In 1993, he won the Ze'ev Award for his work "HaMeshoreret MeKineret'" ("The Poet of Sea of Galilee").
Books
- The Little Tractor Driver
- Fishing Fish
- Rotem and the Magic Hair - written for his oldest daughter's birthday
- The Legend of the Awakening Sea
- The Ants Hill
- I'm Running out of The Horse
- Dews in the Negev
- The Tales of TomerOdeDana
- Blockade Runner (Hebrew)
- The Negev Patrol
- The rebellion at the Zoo
- Burning Ship at Tel-Aviv shore
- Stories about Birds
- The Jumping Champion and the Car Counter
- The Poet of Sea of Galilee - included in Israel's Ministry of Education Reading Recommndation List of 2010-11.
- First 100 trips
- One Dog, Two kids, Three chicks
- Legend Flowers
- Legend Birds
- Legend Land
- Where Have You Come From, Pretty Butterfly?
- Where Have You Come From, Cute Bunny?
Editorial Works
- Pashosh Children Magazineעיתון פשוש (by SPNISociety for the Protection of Nature in IsraelThe Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel , or SPNI, is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and...
- Chief editor for 24 years - They See, but Can't Be Seen by Pinhas Amitay
- Adventures with Plants by Pinhas Amitay
- Insects at Home and in the Garden by Pinhas Amitay
Translation Works
- Spot's Birthday (Hebrew) by Eric Hill, translated and edited by Amos Bar
- Spot's Noisy Walk (Hebrew) by Eric Hill, translated and edited by Amos Bar
External links
- Photos of Amos Bar in Wikimedia
- Amos Bar in DafDaf (Hebrew) - Author of the month, March 2011