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Avoth Yeshurun

アヴォト・イェシュルン

Avoth Yeshurun

Aliases: Avot Yeshurun
Pen Names: Yehiel Perlmutter（Birth name. Early works were published under this name.）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1904-10-06 （Nesukhoyezhe, Volhynia Governorate, Russian Empire）
Died
1992-12-22 （Tel Aviv, Israel） age 88
Nationality
Russian Empire (now Ukraine), Israeli
Languages
Hebrew, Yiddish
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Nesukhoyezhe (Volhynia) → Krasnystaw, Poland → British Mandate of Palestine (later Israel) → Tel Aviv, Israel

Career

Occupations
Poet
Active Years
1925-1992
Influenced By
Yiddish poets and Jewish tradition, Biblical language
Influenced
Subsequent Hebrew poets (influenced in linguistic mixing and social themes)

Awards

Brenner Prize
1967
Organization: Brenner Prize (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Bialik Prize
1979
Organization: Tel Aviv Municipality (Bialik Prize)
Result: 受賞（共同受賞：アハロン・アペルフェルドと共同）
Israel Prize
1992
Work: Hebrew poetry
Organization: Government of Israel
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Al khokhmot drakhim (On the Wisdom of Roads)

Poetry

Early collection published under his birth name, featuring poems reflecting migration and identity.

migrationlanguage and identity

Re'em

1961 Poetry

A collection whose title plays on Hebrew words for thunder and antelope; experimental poems using sound and metaphor.

naturelinguistic play

Shloshim Amud

1965 Poetry

A shorter collection characterized by fragmented expression and concentrated emotion.

fragmentationmemory

Ze Shem HaSefer

1971 Poetry

A poetry collection engaging with the notion of titles and the meaning of words and books.

languagebooks

The Syrian-African Rift

1974 Poetry

A volume using regional and political metaphors; one of his notable works and translated into English.

politicsgeopoliticsalienation
Translations
  • English translation: The Syrian-African Rift (Harold Schimmel, 1980)

Kapella Kolot

1977 Poetry

Focuses on voice and narration; characterized by polyphonic speech.

voicepolyphony

Sha'ar Knisa Sha'ar Yetzia

1981 Poetry

A collection themed around borders and movement.

bordersmovement

Homograph

1985 Poetry

An experimental collection dealing with homographs and lexical layers.

lexical multiplicitylinguistic experimentation

Adon Menucha

1990 Poetry

Poems reflecting on aging, tranquility, and mortality.

agingmortality

Ein Li Achshav

1992 Poetry

Late-life collection dealing with memory and loss.

lossmemory

Bibliography

  • Al khokhmot drakhim (On the Wisdom of Roads)
  • Re'em
  • Shloshim Amud
  • Ze Shem HaSefer
  • The Syrian-African Rift
  • Kapella Kolot
  • Sha'ar Knisa Sha'ar Yetzia
  • Homograph
  • Adon Menucha
  • Ein Li Achshav

Adaptations

  • Documentary 'Yeshurun in 6 Chapters' (Amichai Chasson, 2018)

Translations of Works

  • The Syrian-African Rift — English translation (Harold Schimmel, 1980)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Fragmented, broken phrasingMixing of Yiddish, biblical and modern Hebrew, and slangIrony and social critique
Recurring Motifs
guilt over migration and losslinguistic hybriditysocial marginalization

Legacy

Avoth Yeshurun is acclaimed for his experimental linguistic practice in Hebrew poetry and his treatment of social themes. He wove Yiddish, Hebrew, and Arabic phrases to poetically address marginalization in Israeli culture.

Archives

  • National Library of Israel — holdings
  • Tel Aviv Municipality Archives (materials related to the poet)

In Popular Culture

  • Documentary film 'Yeshurun in 6 Chapters' (2018)

Trivia

  • Born Yehiel Perlmutter; early works were published under his birth name.
  • Changed his name to Avoth Yeshurun the night before being inducted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1948.
  • Members of his family who remained in Krasnystaw were murdered at the Belzec extermination camp.