Avraham Ben-Yitzhak
Encyclopedia
Avraham Ben-Yitzhak was an Israeli Hebrew poet.
He was born Avraham Sonne, on September 13, 1883 in Przemyśl
, Galicia, a region of Eastern Europe which has changed hands throughout history between Austria
and Poland
. In his youth, Przemyśl was part of the Austrian Empire, and he moved to Vienna
to study. In 1938 he fled to the British Mandate of Palestine after the German occupation of Vienna. He died in 1950 in Israel
of tuberculosis. He had only published eleven poems in his lifetime. These, and a few more, were rediscovered after his death.
He was a friend of Elias Canetti
, who wrote a profile of him in the April 7, 1986 edition of The New Yorker
. He was also a friend of James Joyce
and rumored to be romantically attached to Leah Goldberg
. Most of all, his friends remembered him for his long silences.
He was born Avraham Sonne, on September 13, 1883 in Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, Galicia, a region of Eastern Europe which has changed hands throughout history between Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In his youth, Przemyśl was part of the Austrian Empire, and he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to study. In 1938 he fled to the British Mandate of Palestine after the German occupation of Vienna. He died in 1950 in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
of tuberculosis. He had only published eleven poems in his lifetime. These, and a few more, were rediscovered after his death.
He was a friend of Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti was a Bulgarian-born modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer. He wrote in German and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981, "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power".-Life:...
, who wrote a profile of him in the April 7, 1986 edition of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. He was also a friend of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and rumored to be romantically attached to Leah Goldberg
Leah Goldberg
Leah Goldberg was a prolific Hebrew poet, author, playwright, literary translator, and comparative literary researcher. Her writings are considered classics of Israeli literature and remain very popular among Hebrew speaking Israelis.-Biography:...
. Most of all, his friends remembered him for his long silences.