Travels [Paperback]

Yehuda Amichai (Author), Ruth Nevo (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1986

poetry, tr from Hebrew by Ruth Nevo

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Amichai's ability to write fluently and simply on many levels seems so natural, one can't imagine him ever having to blot a line. This book-length autobiographical poem is not an ongoing narrative but a series of linked meditations on the relationship between the life of the poet and the life of the state of Israel, beginning with his arrival there from Germany as a small boy, through the wars he has witnessed, and celebrating in particular his marriage and the birth of his son. The sections weave memory with history, and speculate on the meaning of history together with that of any single life. Amichai's poetry suggests by its tone, diction and language that the Bible is not a closed book but only waiting for new scribes to add the next chapters. The text is bilingual, with Hebrew on facing pages. The only complaint with this poem is that it's not always easy to tell where one section ends and the next begins.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Amichai might be the best known Hebrew poet in English translation, but this Selected Poetry makes us realize how much material has not yet been translated. Unfortunately, translators Mitchell and Bloch deem it necessary to explain references within the poem, thereby foresaking rhythm and conciseness. It is to Amichai's credit that his work is strong enough to intrigue us nonetheless. This book is most important in setting his work in chronological perspective and including excerpts from longer poems that have been left out of other collections. Travels, originally published in Hebrew in 1968, is included in The Selected Poetry as "Travels of the Last Benjamin of Tudela," but Nevo's translation (with the Hebrew en face ) is far superior. Startling autobiographical images, chronologically linked, help the reader establish a connection with the thought process at work in Amichai's other poems. Juxtaposing biblical references and everyday objects, it not only captures but transforms an entire life. This poem might well be Amichai's most important work to date. Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 141 pages
• Publisher: Sheep Meadow; Bilingual Hebrew-English ed. edition (December 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935296638
• ISBN-13: 978-0935296631
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,736,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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