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Yeshurun Keshet

イェシュルン・ケシェト

Yeshurun Keshet

Aliases: Ya'akov Yehoshua Koplewitz / Yaakov Koplevitz
Pen Names: Yeshurun Keshet（Pen name used for literary work and translations (Hebraized surname)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1893-11-29 （Mińsk Mazowiecki, Congress Poland）
Died
1977-02-22 （Jerusalem, Israel） age 83
Nationality
Israeli
Languages
Hebrew, Russian, Polish
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Mińsk Mazowiecki (birthplace) → Tel Aviv (moved to attend Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, 1911) → Rome (university studies, 1920s) → Berlin (university studies, 1920s) → Jerusalem (late residence and place of death)

Career

Occupations
poet, essayist, translator, literary critic, teacher
Active Years
1911-1977
Influenced By
Micha Josef Berdyczewski

Education

Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium
Secondary education (Hebrew studies)
Period: 1911-1910s
Country: Ottoman Palestine / later British Mandate Palestine (region later Israel)
Sent by his parents to Tel Aviv in 1911 to attend the gymnasium
University in Rome
Unknown
Period: 1920-1926（ローマおよびベルリンでの在学）
Country: Italy
Studied at universities in Rome and Berlin during the 1920s
University in Berlin
Unknown
Period: 1920-1926（ローマおよびベルリンでの在学）
Country: Germany
Studied at universities in Rome and Berlin during the 1920s

Awards

Tchernichovsky Prize
1948
Work: Translation of Michel de Montaigne's Essays
Organization: Tchernichovsky Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Kugel Prize (Holon municipality)
1968
Organization: Municipality of Holon
Result: 受賞
Bialik Prize
1976
Work: Lifetime achievement
Organization: Bialik Prize committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ha-Helekh ba-Aretz

1932 Poetry

A collection of poems dealing with land, journeys, and inner exploration. Merges Hebrew poetic tradition with modern sensibilities.

homelandjourneyinner exploration

Elegies (Elegyot)

1944 Poetry

A volume of poems themed on mourning and memory, addressing the sense of loss of the times and personal lamentation.

mourningmemoryhistory

Ha-Hayyim ha-Genuzim (The Hidden Lives)

1959 Poetry / Critical prose

A work combining poetry and essays, containing reflections on individual and society, memory and creativity.

memorycreativitysociety and the individual

Monograph on Micha Josef Berdyczewski

1958 Literary criticism

A scholarly monograph analyzing the thought and literature of Micha Josef Berdyczewski.

literary criticismJewish literature

Bibliography

  • Ha-Helekh ba-Aretz (1932)
  • Elegyot (1944)
  • Ha-Hayyim ha-Genuzim (1959)
  • Monograph on Micha Josef Berdyczewski (1958)

Translations by Author

  • Michel de Montaigne's Essays (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Winston Churchill (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Franz Kafka (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Thomas Mann (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Jack London (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by William James (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Romain Rolland (translated into Hebrew)
  • Works by Moses Hess (translated into Hebrew)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
symbolic poetic expressionphilosophical and reflective prosefusion of Hebrew tradition and modernism
Recurring Motifs
homeland / landmemory and lossrelation of individual and communityJewish identity

Legacy

Yeshurun Keshet played an important role in Hebrew poetry, translation and literary criticism. He introduced many classics such as Montaigne to Hebrew and contributed to the formation of Israeli culture and language. He was awarded honors including the Tchernichovsky and Bialik prizes.

Trivia

  • Born Ya'akov Yehoshua Koplewitz (Ya'akov Yehoshua Koplevitz).
  • Hebraized his surname in 1948 and used the name Yeshurun Keshet.
  • Buried at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem.
  • Spouse: Clara Hollander.