SHIRIM [Poems. Two volume set]

Tchernichowsky, Saul (20 August 1875 the village of Mykhailivka, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire (now in the Ukraine - 14 October 1943 Jerusalem, Eretz Israel) (Tchernichovsky)

Published by Dvir, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1966

About this Item

In Hebrew. Two volume set. The spines of the volumes are a bit sunned. 198 x 124 mm. 955 pages. Additional scans available upon request. Shaul Tchernichovsky (20 August 1875 the village of Mykhailivka, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire (now in the Ukraine - 14 October 1943 (aged 68) Jerusalem, Eretz Israel) was a poet, essayist, translator, and medical doctor. He is one of the great Hebrew poets, is identified with nature poetry, and as a poet was greatly influenced by the culture of ancient Greece. He studied at a reformed religious primary school and at age 10 transferred to a Russian school. He published his first poems in Odessa where he studied from 1890 to 1892. His first poem was "In My Dream." From 1899 to 1906 he studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg, completing his medical studies in Lausanne. He wrote poetry while practicing medicine from then on. He returned to the Ukraine, practicing medicine in Kharkiv and Kiev. In the First World War he served as an army doctor in Minsk and in Saint Petersburg. From 1925 to 1932 he was one of the editors of the newspaper Hatekufa. He also edited the section on medicine in the Hebrew encyclopedia Eshkol. He was in the United States 1929 - 1930 and in 1931 he immigrated to Eretz Israel, which was under British rule and remained in Israel for the rest of his life. He was also an excellent translator. His translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey earned him recognition, and he also translated Sophocles, Horace, Shakespeare, Molwas a poet, essayist, translator, and medical doctor. He is considered one of the great Hebrew poets, is identified with nature poetry, and as a poet greatly influenced by the culture of ancient Greece. He started at a reformed religious primary school and at age 10 he transferred to a Russian school. He published his first poems in Odessa where he studied from 1890 to 1892. His first poem was "In My Dream." From 1899 to 1906 he studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg, finishing his medical studies in Lausanne. He wrote poetry while practicing medicine from then on. He returned to the Ukraine, practicing medicine in Kharkiv and Kiev. In the First World War he served as an army doctor in Minsk and in Saint Petersburg. From 1925 to 1932 he was one of the editors of the newspaper Hatekufa. He also edited the section on medicine in the Hebrew encyclopedia Eshkol. He was in the United States 1929 - 1930, immigrating to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1931 where he remained for the rest of his life. He was also an excellent translator. His translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey earned him recognition, and he also translated Sophocles, Horace, Shakespeare, Molière, Pushkin, Goethe, Heine, Byron, Shelley, the Kalevala, the Gilgamesh Cycle, the Icelandic Edda, etc. He served as doctor of the Herzliya Hebrew High School in Tel Aviv. In his later years he served as doctor for the Tel Aviv schools. He edited the Hebrew terminology manual for medicine and the natural sciences. He was twice awarded the Bialik Prize for literature, in 1940 (jointly with Zelda Mishkovsky) and in 1942 (jointly with Haim Hazaz). In the poetry of Tchernichovsky there is a blend of the influences of Jewish cultural heritage and world cultural heritage. In response to the Holocaust he wrote the poems "The Slain of Tirmonye" and "Ballads of Worms" that brought into expression his heart's murmurings concerning the tragic fate of the Jewish people. Many of his poems have been set to music by the best Hebrew popular composers, such as Yoel Angel and Nahum Nardi. Singer-songwriters have also set his lyrics to music, as Shlomo Artzi did for They Say There Is a Land (omrim yeshna eretz), which is also well known in the settings of Angel and of Miki Gavrielov. Oh My Land My Birthplace (hoy artzi moladeti)) is better known in the setting by Naomi Shemer, as arranged by Gil Aldema. Shalosh atonot (Three Jenny-asses) also became a popular song.

Seller Inventory # 011710

Bibliographic Details

• Title: SHIRIM [Poems. Two volume set]
• Publisher: Dvir, Tel Aviv, Israel
• Publication Date: 1966
• Language: Hebrew
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Judaica