Amir Or

Amir Or, 2010

Amir Or (born 1956), is an Israeli editor, translator and award-winning poet whose works have been published in more than 40 languages.^[1]

He is the author of twelve volumes of poetry as of late 2016, and his latest books in Hebrew are The Madman's Prophecy (2012), Loot (selected poems 1977-2013)(2013) and Wings (2015) .^[1] Or also published a fictional epic in metered prose, The Song of Tahira (2001) and the novel The Kingdom (2015) about the life of king David and contemporary society.

Biography

Amir Or was born in Tel Aviv. He has worked as a shepherd, builder and restaurateur.^[2] He studied philosophy and comparative religion at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he later lectured on Ancient Greek Religion. Or has published essays on poetry, classics and religious studies, and has taught creative writing in universities in Israel, Europe, USA and Japan.^[1]

Literary career

In 1990 Or founded "Helicon Society, Israel" and has been Editor-in-Chief of Helicon's journal and series of poetry books. In 1993 he set up the Arabic-Hebrew Helicon Poetry School and has founded and directed the Sha’ar International Poetry Festival. Or has also edited other literary journals and several anthologies of Hebrew verse in European languages. He serves as editor of the Catuv poetry books series, as national editor of the international poetry magazines Atlas and Blesok, and as a national coordinator for the U.N. sponsored UPC venture, “Poets for Peace.” He is a founding memberof the EACWP (European Association of Creative Writing Programs) of the international Circle of Poets and of the WPM (World Poetry Movement).^[1]

Awards and recognition

For his poetry, Or was awarded the Levi Eshkol Prime Minister’s Literary Prize, the Harry Harshon prize, the Bernstein Prize (original Hebrew-language poetry category), a Fulbright Award for writers, the Oeneumi literary prize of the Tetovo Poetry Festival 2010, the Wine Poetry prize 2013 of the Struga Poetry Evenings, the Stefan Mirtov Ljubiša international literary award 2014, and the European Atlas of Lyrics award 2016; as well as Fellowships at the University of Iowa, the Jewish-Hebrew Centre of the University of Oxford, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Literarische Colloquium, Berlin among others. For his translations he received the Honorary Prize of the Israeli Minister of Culture.^[1]

Published works

Hebrew books

• HaMamlakha (The Kingdom), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2015
• Knafayim (Wings), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2015
• Shalal (Loot) Selected poems 1977-2013, Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2013
• Masa HaMeshuga (The Madman's Prophecy), Keshev, 2012
• HaHaya SheBalev (The Animal in the Heart). Keshev, 2010
• Muzeion Hazman (The Museum of Time). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 2007
• Shir Tahira (The Song of Tahira). Xargol, 2001.
• Yom (Day). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad & Tag, 1998.
• Shir (Poem). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1996.
• Kakha (So!). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1995.
• Pidyon ha-met. (Ransoming The Dead), Helicon-Bitan, 1994.
• Panim (Faces). Am Oved, 1991.
• Ani mabbit me-‛eyney ha-qofim (I Look Through The Monkeys’ Eyes). Eqed, 1987.

Books translated into other languages

• Dédale (The Maze); into French, by Isabelle Dotan (maelstrÖm reEvolution, Brussels 2016)
• Reci i Ja Ću Biti (Say And I'll Be); into Serbian, by Vida Ognjenovic and David Albahari, (Kuća poezije, Banja Luka 2016)
• Krila (Wings) into Serbian, by Vida Ognjenovic, (Arhipelag, Belgrade 2016)
• Dia>Logos; into English. Selected poems, (ArtAArk, Delhi/London/NY 2015)
• Muzei Vremena (The Museum of Time); into Serbian, by Vida Ognjenovic and David Albahari,(Arhipelag, Belgrade 2015)
• Twarze (Faces); into Polish by Beata Tarnowska, (Z bliska, Goldap 2014)
• Tredici Poesie (Thirteen Poems); into Italian by Paolo Ruffilli, (The Writer publications, Milan 2014)
• Mucize ve Yağma(Miracle and Loot); into Turkish by Ulker Ince, (Şiirden Yayıncılık, Istanbul 2014)
• Să Te Vorbim Pe Tine (Let's Speak you); into Romanian by Ioana Ieronim, trilingual e-book with new translations, Romanian/English/Hebrew, (Contemporary Literature Press, The University of Bucharest, in conjunction with The British Council, Buchaest 2014) http://editura.mttlc.ro/carti/Amir%20Or.%20Let's%20Speak%20You.%20CLP.pdf
• Le Musée de Temps (The Museum of Time); into French by Aurélia Lassaque and Jacques Rancourt, (Editions de l'Amandier, Paris 2013)
• Milagro (Miracle); into Spanish by Karla Coreas,(Sur Editores, Havana 2013)
• Der museum van de tijd(The Museum of Time); into Dutch by Peter Boreas, (Azul press, Maastricht, Amsterdam 2012)
• Pohara (Loot);into Serbian by David Albahari and Vida Ognjenovic,(Arhipelag publishers, Belgrade 2012)
• Miracle/The Hours, Milagro/Las Horas; into Spanish by Karla Coreas, (Urpi Editores, NY 2011)
• Plates from the Museum of Time (ArtAark, New Delhi, New York, London 2009)
• Day — into English by Fiona Sampson, (Dedalus, Dublin, 2006)
• Wiersz (Poem); into Polish by Beata Tarnowska, (Portret, Olsztyn 2006)
• Să Te Vorbim Pe Tine (Let's Speak You); into Romanian by Ioana Ieronim, (Vinea Press, Buchaest 2006)
• Poem — into English by Helena Berg, (Dedalus, Dublin 2004, Romanian and Polish editions 2006)
• Language Says — into English (Chattanooga, PM publications, Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, 2001)
• Davej se, disam ziva voda (Drowning, He Breaths Living Water) — into Macedonian by Bogomil Gjuzel and Zoran Ancevski; (The Pleiades Series of Struga Poetry Festival, 2000)
• Miracle — English/Hebrew bilingual edition (Poetry Ireland, Dublin, 1998)
• As-sha‛ru Fattatu l-Mujrimin (Poetry is a Criminal Girl); into Arabic by Reuven Snir (Faradis publishers, Paris, 1995)

Or's translations into Hebrew

• The Gospel of Thomas (1992),
• Limb-Loosening Desire (An Anthology of Erotic Greek Poetry 1993)
• Stories From The Mahabharata (1998)
• Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto (1998, with Akiko Takahashi)
• To a Woman by Shuntaro Tanikawa (2000, with Akiko Takahashi)
• The Distance Between Us by Fiona Sampson (2008)
• The Song of The Salamander by Aurélia Lassaque (2014)
• Mara's Ghost by Anastassis Vistonitis (2016)

See also

• Hebrew literature
• The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-21. Retrieved 2006-12-10. Levin, Lynn, "Israeli Poet Amir Or: A Conversation About Language, Myth, and the Soul" at the "Poetry Life and Times" Web site, accessed December 10, 2006
2. Artvilla.com Web site, Web page titled "Amir Or -- Bio:", accessed December 10, 2006

External links

• AMIR OR SITE
• Poetry Life & Times Web site: "Israeli Poet Amir Or: A Conversation About Language, Myth, and the Soul" by Lynn Levin
• Article by Amir Or, "Hebrew Poetry in the New Millennium" at Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site
• Article on Or's poetry by Ariel Hirschfeld, "On the connection between ‘I’ and ‘you’ and the development of the poet from one book to the next"
• Article on Or's poem, "A Glass of Beer", by Rami Saari, "I step into your shoes and become a part of you"

Poetry online

• "Shaharit (Morning Prayer)"
• "POEM" (translated from Hebrew by Helena Berg)
• "POEM" (long version; translated from Hebrew by Helena Berg)
• "The Barbarians (Round Two)" (translated by Vivian Eden)
• "Blue Job" (translated by Vivian Eden)
• "A Glass of Beer"
• "Epitaph" (translated by Vivian Eden)
• "I Look Through the Monkeys’ Eyes" (translated by Irit Sela)
• [untitled] (first line: "There’s a speed in which things calm down.")