Synopses & Reviews
Haim Nachman Bialik (1873--1934) is probably the most famous Hebrew poet of the modern era. He is a staple on the curriculum for generation after generation of Israeli high school students; yet it is a closely guarded secret that he was also a master of short prose. Here at last in this collection of his prose, finely translated by Ezra Spicehandler, his Ukrainian countryside is brought to vivid life ---it was only in later life that he settled in Tel Aviv. Beside Bialik's great talent for lyricism and symbolism, it is a surprise to see how these prose works reveal a humorous side to a man solemnly revered as Israel's "national poet." The introduction by David Patterson (President Emeritus of the Oxford Centre for Jewish & Hebrew Studies, UK) takes into account the important corpus of Bialik criticism that has been published over the years.