Hayim Nahman Bialik: Poet of Hebrew by Avner Holtzman is a thoughtful and humane treatment of Bialik, considered the Hebrew “national” poet for most of his life, and well after his death (before the State of Israel was formed).
Bialik was similar in background to many Zionists at the turn of the century. He had a deep religious background as a boy, and he both used and molded this to create a new secular Jewish, poetic voice. He did most of his best work in the diaspora (Odessa, in particular). He only lived in Palestine for the last ten years of his life.
There were other poets at the time, of course, but he was crowned the king. Part of his appeal, but not the only part, seems that he fit the bill at that moment. Modern Hebrew required a meta-narrative, and helped write that story.
Now, the idea of a national poet in Israel is an outdated notion. The European Jews who controlled Palestine/Israel must now share the stage with Jews from all over the world. Fractures and fissures rule the day, and not national artistic unity.
Bialik was similar in background to many Zionists at the turn of the century. He had a deep religious background as a boy, and he both used and molded this to create a new secular Jewish, poetic voice. He did most of his best work in the diaspora (Odessa, in particular). He only lived in Palestine for the last ten years of his life.
There were other poets at the time, of course, but he was crowned the king. Part of his appeal, but not the only part, seems that he fit the bill at that moment. Modern Hebrew required a meta-narrative, and helped write that story.
Now, the idea of a national poet in Israel is an outdated notion. The European Jews who controlled Palestine/Israel must now share the stage with Jews from all over the world. Fractures and fissures rule the day, and not national artistic unity.
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