Nathan Alterman
Encyclopedia
Nathan Alterman was an Israeli poet, playwright, journalist
, and translator who – though never holding any elected office – was highly influential in Socialist Zionist politics, both before and after the establishment of the State of Israel.
). He moved to Tel Aviv
with his family in 1925, when he was 15 years old, and continued his studies at the Herzliya Hebrew High School
.
When he was 19 years old, he travelled to Paris to study at the University of Paris
(a.k.a. La Sorbonne), but a year later he decided to go to Nancy to study Agronomy
. Though maintaining close contacts with his family and friends in Tel Aviv and visiting them on vacations, Alterman spent three years in France and was highly influenced by his occasional meetings with French artists and writers. When he returned to Tel Aviv in 1932, he started working at the Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school, but soon left it in favour of working as a journalist and publishing Hebrew poems.
.
His next major book was "The Joy of the Poor" ( ṡimḥàt aniyím, 1941), which many regard as his magnum opus
. This is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria consisting of 31 interconnected poems, all from the viewpoint of the ghost of a dead man obsessed with the living woman he loves – a reversal of the Orpheus
and Eurydice
story. The dead man wants to protect his living love from war and poverty, but more than anything he wants to drag her into his world. His plans are continually frustrated. The light from a humble candle is enough to drive him back. The story reads like a supernatural thriller, but the rhyme and the meters are regular and elegant.
In 1942, when the first news about the Holocaust reached the Zionist Jewish community in British Mandate Palestine, Alterman wrote a poem, which can be described as a sarcastic paraphrase on the Jewish prayer, "Praised are You ... who has chosen us out of all the nations". In this poem Alterman says, "At our children's cry, shadowed by scaffolds, we heard not the world's furor. For you has chosen us out of all nations, you loved us and favoured. For you have chosen us of all nations, of Norwegians, Czechs and Britons. As they march toward scaffolds, Jewish children of reason, they know their blood shan't be reckoned among the rest, they just call to the mother 'turn away your face'." In 1943, Alterman wrote the maqama
"The Swedish Tongue", in which he praised Sweden's willingness to welcome Jewish refugees from Denmark.
In 1943, he also wrote a poem that was critical of Pope Pius XII, a poem that is featured at the Yad Vashem
museum.
During the 1945–1947 years of the Zionist movement's struggle against British rule, Alterman's weekly column in the Labour Movement "Davar" newspaper was highly influential, strongly denouncing the British army's oppressive measures and praising the illegal immigrant boats landing Jewish holocaust survivors on the country's shores, in defiance of British policy. The most well-known of these is the 1945 "In Praise of an Italian Captain".
In the early stages of the Israeli War of Independence he wrote numerous patriotic poems, the most well-known of which is "The Silver Platter" ( magásh ha-késef). Having become a canonical text read on Israel's Remembrance Day
, this poem was written in response to Chaim Weizmann
's words in December 1947, after the adoption of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, "No state is ever handed on a silver platter... The partition plan does not give the Jews but an opportunity". In his poem, Alterman describes a scene similar to the Biblical
Revelation on Mount Sinai, where the Jewish People is waiting to receive the Jewish state, as the Israelite were waiting to receive the Torah
. And yet, instead of Moses
descending with the Tablets of Stone
, the people see two unfamiliar youths, a boy and a girl, exhausted and nearly dead. When asked, "Who are you?" they reply, "We are the silver platter on which the state of the Jews was handed to you".
In later stages of the war, Alterman wrote the poem "About That" ( al zót), which strongly denounces the killing of Arab civilians during the conquest of Lydda
and Ramla
by the newly-formed Israeli Army. Alterman denounced as war criminals not only the perpetrators but also anyone who explicitly or tacitly condoned their act. Only due to Alterman's high standing and prestige in the emerging Isralei society was he able to speak out on such a controversial subject while the war was still ongoing.
During the 1950s, Alterman was opposed to the martial law imposed at the time on Israel's Arab citizens (until 1966), and was also strongly supportive of workers' struggle such as the 1952 sailors' strike which was suppressed by the Ben Gurion Government.
After the Six-Day War
, Alterman was one of the founders of the Movement for Greater Israel
, finding himself in alliance with right-wing activists whom he greatly opposed in earlier times of his career. He criticized David Ben-Gurion
(who held at the time only the position of a Knesset member, but was still influential) for being too willing to give up the territories captured during the war in return for a peace agreement.
Alterman translated Shakespeare, Molière
, Racine
and Russian classics into Hebrew and Yiddish. He wrote the lyrics of the famous Moshe Vilenski
song Kalaniyot
, sung by Shoshana Damari.
In 2005, he was voted the 43rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and translator who – though never holding any elected office – was highly influential in Socialist Zionist politics, both before and after the establishment of the State of Israel.
Biography
Nathan Alterman was born in Warsaw, Poland (then part of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
). He moved 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...
with his family in 1925, when he was 15 years old, and continued his studies at the Herzliya Hebrew High School
Herzliya Hebrew High School
The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium , originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit is a historic high school in Tel Aviv, Israel.-History:...
.
When he was 19 years old, he travelled to Paris to study at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
(a.k.a. La Sorbonne), but a year later he decided to go to Nancy to study Agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
. Though maintaining close contacts with his family and friends in Tel Aviv and visiting them on vacations, Alterman spent three years in France and was highly influenced by his occasional meetings with French artists and writers. When he returned to Tel Aviv in 1932, he started working at the Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school, but soon left it in favour of working as a journalist and publishing Hebrew poems.
Literary and political career
Alterman's first published book of poetry was Kokhavim Bakhuts ("Stars Outside"), published in 1938. This volume, with its "neo-romantic themes, highly charged texture, and metrical virtuosity," as Israeli critic Benjamin Harshav puts it, established him as a major force in modern Hebrew literatureHebrew literature
Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews...
.
His next major book was "The Joy of the Poor" ( ṡimḥàt aniyím, 1941), which many regard as his magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
. This is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria consisting of 31 interconnected poems, all from the viewpoint of the ghost of a dead man obsessed with the living woman he loves – a reversal of the Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
and Eurydice
Eurydice
Eurydice in Greek mythology, was an oak nymph or one of the daughters of Apollo . She was the wife of Orpheus, who loved her dearly; on their wedding day, he played joyful songs as his bride danced through the meadow. One day, a satyr saw and pursued Eurydice, who stepped on a venomous snake,...
story. The dead man wants to protect his living love from war and poverty, but more than anything he wants to drag her into his world. His plans are continually frustrated. The light from a humble candle is enough to drive him back. The story reads like a supernatural thriller, but the rhyme and the meters are regular and elegant.
In 1942, when the first news about the Holocaust reached the Zionist Jewish community in British Mandate Palestine, Alterman wrote a poem, which can be described as a sarcastic paraphrase on the Jewish prayer, "Praised are You ... who has chosen us out of all the nations". In this poem Alterman says, "At our children's cry, shadowed by scaffolds, we heard not the world's furor. For you has chosen us out of all nations, you loved us and favoured. For you have chosen us of all nations, of Norwegians, Czechs and Britons. As they march toward scaffolds, Jewish children of reason, they know their blood shan't be reckoned among the rest, they just call to the mother 'turn away your face'." In 1943, Alterman wrote the maqama
Maqama
Maqāma are an Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century...
"The Swedish Tongue", in which he praised Sweden's willingness to welcome Jewish refugees from Denmark.
In 1943, he also wrote a poem that was critical of Pope Pius XII, a poem that is featured at the Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
museum.
During the 1945–1947 years of the Zionist movement's struggle against British rule, Alterman's weekly column in the Labour Movement "Davar" newspaper was highly influential, strongly denouncing the British army's oppressive measures and praising the illegal immigrant boats landing Jewish holocaust survivors on the country's shores, in defiance of British policy. The most well-known of these is the 1945 "In Praise of an Italian Captain".
In the early stages of the Israeli War of Independence he wrote numerous patriotic poems, the most well-known of which is "The Silver Platter" ( magásh ha-késef). Having become a canonical text read on Israel's Remembrance Day
Yom Hazikaron
Yom Hazikaron is Israel's official Memorial Day. In 2011, Israel honored the memory of soldiers killed in the line of duty and the civilian casualties too.-Observance:...
, this poem was written in response to Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
's words in December 1947, after the adoption of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, "No state is ever handed on a silver platter... The partition plan does not give the Jews but an opportunity". In his poem, Alterman describes a scene similar to the Biblical
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
Revelation on Mount Sinai, where the Jewish People is waiting to receive the Jewish state, as the Israelite were waiting to receive the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. And yet, instead of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
descending with the Tablets of Stone
Tablets of stone
The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony in the Bible, were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus...
, the people see two unfamiliar youths, a boy and a girl, exhausted and nearly dead. When asked, "Who are you?" they reply, "We are the silver platter on which the state of the Jews was handed to you".
In later stages of the war, Alterman wrote the poem "About That" ( al zót), which strongly denounces the killing of Arab civilians during the conquest of Lydda
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
and Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
by the newly-formed Israeli Army. Alterman denounced as war criminals not only the perpetrators but also anyone who explicitly or tacitly condoned their act. Only due to Alterman's high standing and prestige in the emerging Isralei society was he able to speak out on such a controversial subject while the war was still ongoing.
During the 1950s, Alterman was opposed to the martial law imposed at the time on Israel's Arab citizens (until 1966), and was also strongly supportive of workers' struggle such as the 1952 sailors' strike which was suppressed by the Ben Gurion Government.
After the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, Alterman was one of the founders of the Movement for Greater Israel
Movement for Greater Israel
The Movement for Greater Israel was a political organisation in Israel during the 1960s and 1970s which subscribed to an ideology of Greater Israel....
, finding himself in alliance with right-wing activists whom he greatly opposed in earlier times of his career. He criticized David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
(who held at the time only the position of a Knesset member, but was still influential) for being too willing to give up the territories captured during the war in return for a peace agreement.
Alterman translated Shakespeare, Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and Russian classics into Hebrew and Yiddish. He wrote the lyrics of the famous Moshe Vilenski
Moshe Vilenski
Moshe Vilenski was an Israeli composer, lyricist, and pianist. He is considered a "pioneer of Israeli song", and one of Israel's leading composers, and was a winner of the Israel Prize, the state's highest honor.-Early life:...
song Kalaniyot
Kalaniyot
Kalaniyot is an Israeli song that became popular in the days leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel and has remained an Israeli classic....
, sung by Shoshana Damari.
Awards
- In 1946, Alterman received the Tchernichovsky PrizeTchernichovsky PrizeThe Tchernichovsky Prize is an Israeli prize awarded to individuals for exemplary works of translation into Hebrew. It is awarded by the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Although initailly awarded annually, it is now awarded every two years....
for exemplary translation, for his translations of plays PhèdrePhèdrePhèdre is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677.-Composition and premiere:...
by Jean RacineJean RacineJean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and Merry Wives of Windsor by ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. - In 1947, he received the Ruppin Prize for his book "Joy of the Poor".
- In 1957, Alterman was awarded the Bialik PrizeBialik PrizeThe Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...
for literature. - In 1967, he again received the Tchernichovsky Prize, for translations of the plays of MoliereMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
. - In 1968, he was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for literature. - In 2011, his portrait was chosen to be on Israel's currency.
In 2005, he was voted the 43rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Published work
- 1938: Stars Outside (poetry)
- 1941: Joy of the Poor (poetry)
- 1944: Plague Poems
- 1948 and 1954: The Seventh Column (two volumes)
- 1957: City of the Dove
External links
- Israel – Poetry International Web
- Tsur Erlich, "Nathan the Wise", Azure (Spring 2007)
- N.Alterman – Israel and Zionism
- Poetry International Web Israel – Nathan Alterman
- Yossi Banai reading Nathan Alterman
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- List of Bialik Prize recipientsBialik PrizeThe Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...