David Avidan (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: דוד אבידן) (February 21, 1934 – May 11, 1995) was an Israeli "

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, painter,

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

, and playwright" (as he often put it). He wrote 20 published books of Hebrew poetry.

Biography and literary career

He was born in

Tel Aviv, Israel Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, and studied

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and Philosophy while briefly studying at

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. He wrote mostly in

, and was an avant-garde artist throughout his life. He translated many of his own poems into English, and received several awards both as a poet and as a

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

. He was not popular with most critics or the general public throughout his life, often criticized as being egocentric,

chauvinistic Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotis ...

, and

technocratic Technocracy is a form of government in which the decision-maker or makers are selected based on their expertise in a given area of responsibility, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. This system explicitly contrasts wi ...

. His first book, ''Lipless Faucets'' (1954), was attacked by nearly all poetry critics; the first favorable review was by

Gabriel Moked In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

, editor of the literary quarterly ''Akhshav'', who later became one of Avidan's closest friends. By the early 1990s he could scarcely make a living, and his mental condition had deteriorated. Avidan died in Tel Aviv, the city which had played a central role in his life, and was, in many ways, the center of his creation. Avidan died on May 11, 1995 in his Tel Aviv apartment at the age of 61. Since his death, Avidan's reputation has been on the rise both in literary circles and in the popular imagination, positioning him as one of the core poets of the Israeli canon. A volume of Selected Poems by Avidan, "Futureman," translated by Tsipi Keller, has been published by Phoneme Media in 2017.

Awards

In 1993, Avidan was the co-recipient (jointly with

Amalia Kahana-Carmon Amalia Kahana-Carmon () was an Israeli author and literary critic. She was awarded the Israel Prize for literature in 2000. Biography Amalia Kahana-Carmon was born in Kibbutz Ein Harod on October 18, 1926. She moved to Tel Aviv as a child and stu ...

) of the

Bialik Prize The Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel, for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Israel's national poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Bialik ...

for Hebrew literature.

Movies

* ''Message from the Future'', a 1981 Israeli film Avidan wrote, directed and starred in, is a science fiction movie in English about future humans visiting present-day Israel. In the year 3005, a man is sent back to 1985 to convince the present leaders make certain that

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

happens, which he guarantees will make for a better future. Having already caused natural disasters and catastrophes by coming back from the future, he now tries to force his message on the world press and TV. Sheldon Teitelbaum has judged the film 'execrable'.John Clute and Peter Nicholls, eds, ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' Orbit Books, 1993, p. 630.

Books (poetry) – partial list

* Lipless Faucets, 1954 * Personal Problems, 1957 * Subtotal, 1960 * Pressure Poems, 1962 * Something for Someone, 1964 * A Book of Possibilities – Poems and More, 1985

References

External links

לקסיקון הספרות העברית החדשה – דוד אבידן
*http://mailchi.mp/1480e735fb8d/a-very-phoneme-fall {{DEFAULTSORT:Avidan, David 1934 births 1995 deaths Jewish Israeli writers Jewish Israeli artists Jewish Israeli male actors Israeli male poets Israeli male painters Israeli film directors Israeli male film actors Israeli male screenwriters Burials at Yarkon Cemetery 20th-century Israeli poets 20th-century Israeli male actors 20th-century Israeli male artists 20th-century Israeli male writers 20th-century Israeli painters Israeli science fiction writers Hebrew-language poets Hebrew-language playwrights Film people from Tel Aviv Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Hebrew–English translators Recipients of Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works 20th-century Israeli screenwriters 20th-century translators