Mati Shemoelof ( he, מתי שמואלוף, born July 11, 1972), is an
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
,
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 writte ...
,
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
. His first short story collection, "Remnants of the Cursed Book", won the 2015 award for Best Book of the Year of "Yekum Tarbut" website.
Bagdad - Haifa - Berlin"- His first Bi-Lingual collection of poems was published in Germany by Aphorisma Verlag.
Early life
Shemoelof was born and raised in
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, Israel. He now lives in Berlin.
Shemoelof received his
BA degree from the Department of
Theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
, and an
MA degree in
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
from the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...
. His MA thesis was titled, "The cultural and mythical meanings of the appearance of the character of Malcolm X in Spike Lee movie (1992)". For this work, he received the
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
’s Prize of Excellence. He was pursuing a
PhD in
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 ...
at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem
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 ...
, and left in order to focus on his writing.
He taught at Kedma High School in Jerusalem. He also taught creative writing at
Ron Vardi Center for Gifted Children, and was a lecturer of Israeli culture at in Tel Aviv.
Publications
* Scar Minimizer, Gwanim publishers, 2001 (A poetry book).
* What is born from the fallen ceremony, 2002 (A theater play).
* Poetry between hazaz and shemoelof, Yaron Golan publishers, 2016 (poetry book).
* Why don't i write Israeli love poems, Nahar Books, 2010 (Poetry book).
* An Appetite for hunger, Nahar books, 2013 (poetry book).
* Remnants of the cursed book and other short stories, Zmora Bitan publishers, 2014 (A collection of short stories).
* Last tango in Berlin, boxilla publishers, 2014 (A poetry book).
* Hebrew outside its sweet inside, Pardes publishing, 2017 (A poetry book).
* ...reißt die Mauern ein zwischen 'uns' und 'ihnen', AphorismA Verlag, 2018 (Kleine Texte 84).
* Die künftige Ufer, WDR Radio, 2018 (Hörspiel).
* Bagdad Haifa Berlin, AphorismA Verlag, 2019 (A bi lingual collection of poems)
* "An Eruption from the East: Re visiting the emergence of the Mizrahi artistic explosion and it’s imprint on the Israeli cultural narrative", Iton 77 publishers, 2019 (An articles book).
* Bleiben oder Wiederstehen, AphorismA Verlag, 2020 (Kleine Texte 92).
* The prize, Pardes publishing house, 2021 (A novel). The book was included in the final list of books nominated for th
Shulamit Aloni Prize* Das kleine Boot in meiner Hand nenn ich Narbe: Gedichte. Parasitenpresse, 2023. ISBN 978-3-98805-012-0.
Awards and honors
* 2022, The novel "The Prize" was on the final list of books nominated for the Shulamit Aloni's literary prize.
* 2022, Stipendienprogramm 2022 im Raumen von Neustart Kultur und VG Wort.
* 2021, The Berlin Senat Grant for the “Middle East Union”’s festival.
* 2020 “An Eruption from the East: Re visiting the emergence of the mizrahi artistic explosion and it’s imprint on the Israeli cultural narrative” First collection of articles was published in Israel
* 2019 First collection of poems was published in Germany
* 2018 First Hörspil - WDR
* 2017 LCB berlin sommerfest
* 2016 Helicon International Literary festival
* 2016 Basel International Literary Festival
* 2015 - Best book of year prize on "Yekum Tarbut"
* 2014 - Arab Jewish Texts—Conference, Chicago University
* 2014 - "Digital Roundtable" conference at Cornell University
* 2014 - Rabinovich Foundation Prize
* 2014 - Contemporary Israeli Poetry from Berlin
* 2013 -
ACUM – Grant
* 2012 - A Translation workshop - Literaturwerkstatt Berlin
* 2011 - Honorable mention at "Haaretz" Annual short story contest
* 2011 - Honorable mention at "Einat" Annual Science fiction short story contest
* 2006 - Best Poetry Book of the Year (Haifa Cultural Foundation)
* 2010 - Rabinovich Foundation Prize
* 2001 - "Best Debut Poetry Book of the Year" (National Art Trust of the National Lottery)
Literary work
Shemoelof writing is diverse and includes poetry, drama and prose. His works have won significant recognition and prizes.
Shemoelof has published seven poetry books: "The Scar Minimizer" (2001); "Poetry Between Hazaz and Shemoelof" (2006); "Why Don’t I write Israeli Love Songs" (2010); "Appetite for Hunger" (2013), "Last tango in Berlin" (2014). "Hebrew from its inner outsiders" (2017).
His first short stories book was published by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, the leading publishing company in Israel.
His works have been translated to six languages, and gained worldwide attention. A
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
translation of some of Shemoelof's literary pieces was done by Berlin's Literaturwerkstatt, which also invited him to Berlin to record him reading his poems on audio. English translations of his works were published in major journals, such as Zeek,
Fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
,
and Arspolitica.
An
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
translation of his works was recently published in several leading literary papers, including ones in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. Besides that, his works have been translated to
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
.
Shemoelof was awarded several notable prizes for his works. Some notable ones are the prize for "Best Debut Poetry Book of the Year", awarded by the National Art Trust of the National Lottery, in 2001; the prize for "Best Poetry Book of the Year", awarded by the Haifa Cultural Foundation, in 2006; an Honorable Mention, awarded by the Israeli
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
magazine during its annual short story contest, in 2011; Best poetry book of the year (Haifa Cultural Foundation 2006); and the highly appreciated Acum Prize for advocating literature in Israel, in 2013. Additionally, his play "What Has the Memorial Day Service Become" appeared in the Small-Bama festival at the University of Tel Aviv.
In addition, he co-edited several poetry anthologies: "Aduma" (Red: An Anthology of Class Poetry), which had been sold in three editions since its first release in 2007; "Tehudot Zehut" (Echoing Identities) (2007), an anthology addressing the issues of third generation
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews ( he, יהודי המִזְרָח), also known as ''Mizrahim'' () or ''Mizrachi'' () and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or ''Edot HaMizrach'' (, ), are a grouping of Jewish communities comprising those who remained i ...
in Israel, in which Shemoelof's shory autobiographical story "The Icebergs of the Memory" was published; "La-Tzet!" (To Get Out!), is a 2009 collection of
visual art
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...
pieces and poems against the war in Gaza. "La-Tzet!" represents the ideological unification of the artistic and literary society in Israel, in revolt towards the complex political situation, and it was translated and published in both English and Arabic; "Al Tagidu BaGat", which was published in 2010 and explored the influence of the
1948 Palestinian exodus
In 1948 Estimates of the Palestinian Refugee flight of 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians, Palestinian Arabs – about half of prewar Mandatory Palestine, Palestine's Arab population – Causes of the 1948 Palestinian exodus, were expelled ...
on the Hebrew Poetry.
Shemoelof was also the editor of the Israeli literary journal
HaKivun Mizrah (Eastward) between 2006 and 2008.
He also was publishes regularly in Israel's leading media channels. He wrote a weekly column in the daily
Israel HaYom
''Israel Hayom'' ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit=Israel Today) is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. First published in 2007, ''Israel Hayom'' is Israel's most widely distributed newspaper. Owned by the fam ...
(Israel Today), where he also posted literature reviews, and at
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...
, the Internet news site of Keshet. Previously, he was a columnist at an Israeli news website,
Ynet
Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...
, (Israel's most popular news site),
NRG -(Israel's #3 news site) at
Ma’ariv., and at
Walla!
Walla! Communications Ltd. ( he, וואלה! תקשורת בע"מ) is an Israeli internet company headquartered in Tel Aviv and is fully owned by The Jerusalem Post. Until 2020, it was fully owned by Bezeq. Walla!'s web portal provides news, sea ...
, Israel's most popular portal. He also appeared on
TV, including as a panel member on
Popolitika (public channel TV); The Owls (culture channel TV);
Channel 10 News, and others.
In 2017 he published the first chapter from his coming novel "The German Hebrew Dialogue: Studies of encounter and exchange" edited by Amir Eshel and Rachel Seelig. De Gruyter publishers. Also he published an article about Mizrahim in Berlin on Jalta magazine, volume 2.
On 2018 His first booklet was published in Germany: "...reißt die Mauern die zwischen 'uns' und 'inhen'", AphorismA Verlag, 2018.
In 2018, he also wrote his first radio sketch for
WDR channel.
Shemoelof claims that he belongs not only to the Israeli Jewish culture but also to the German culture and he writes: "For an Israeli entering a trilingual space (Hebrew, English, German), culture is no longer bounded by national borders."
In 2020 he published a long article about his belonging to the German culture. He asked: "Who owns German culture in this day and age? Can a Jewish or Israeli poet, writing in broken Hebrew, broken English, and broken German and living in a German-speaking region be considered a German, or a European, poet? Can Leah Goldberg's and Amir Eshel's works be incorporated into the local (German) curriculum as native works?".
In an interview to the German newspaper, Tagesspiegel (2021), he thanked the city of Berlin that gave him a freedom to write.
Activism
Shemoelof is a political and social activist, and his writing depicts subjects which he promotes.
The political nature of Shemoelof's literary work is closely tied to his activist endeavors. One representation of that is his contribution, as a co-editor, to the "Ruh Jedida - A New Spirit" project, an open letter from Israeli descendants of the
Arab Jews
Arab Jews ( ar, اليهود العرب '; he, יהודים ערבים ') is a term for Jews living in or originating from the Arab world. The term is politically contested, often by Zionists or by Jews with roots in the Arab world who prefer ...
of the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, to their Muslim peers living in those very countries. The letter embodies the idea of promoting change through ״intra-regional and inter-religious dialog.״.
Additionally, Shemoelof is a co-founder of "Culture Guerrilla", an Israeli movement which propagates poetry as an accessible art form, and promotes political causes by means of art performed in public. Despite the usually exclusive nature of poetry and poetry reading, the movement has achieved significant success in high-profile cases regarding contemporary economical and social events, reaching front headlines in Israel, along with several journalistic mentions abroad, the most notable of which was a
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
article. In 2013, the "Culture Guerrilla" publishers, under Shemoelof's supervision, edited two editions of the new Mizrahi poetry collective named "Ars Poetics" that became one of the leading stages of the Mizrahi art scene in Israel.
Shemoelof is also the co-founder of the Israeli Poets Union.
Shemoelof has engaged in extensive volunteer work. He was a founding member of the Haifa branch of the political info-shop,
Salon Mazal. He volunteered in Keshet, The Democratic Rainbow Organization, as a researcher and spokesman for five years. He co-founded the multi-ethnical annual workshops in Tel Aviv for Ashkenazi and Mizrahi cultural movements at
Beit Leyvik House for Yiddish writers. He contributed critical texts to several plastic art shows at the
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aroun ...
and at Bezalel Academy of Arts.
Between 2006 and 2008, Shemoelof was part of
MiMizrach Shemesh, an organization devoted to the Jewish tradition of social responsibility.
Shemoleof temporarily relocated to Berlin in September 2013. He considers it to be a political act, in order to rewrite the context of the Jewish national and creative revival. He sees the Israeli literary diaspora in Berlin as an endeavor to create an alternate narrative for the history of modern Jewish literature, which is usually exclusively entwined with the birthing of the state of Israel. He is one of founders of the Poetic Hafla, a multi-language Poetry-Art-Music parties in Berlin. On 2018 Shemoelof with Hila Amit created a new Jewish-Arabic literature "Anu: Jews and Arabs writing in Berlin".
Bibliography
References
External links
PortfolioArticles at Plus61j, 2018–2019.How to explain hare hunting to a dead German Artist ''
Tohu Magazine'', 2019.
Performing identity: A city to lose and find oneself: Interview with Noa Amiel Politic Orange, 2018–2019.
Die andere Araben, Miriam Dagan Jungle World, January 26, 2019
Schalom, Alte Welt Stadt Inge Guenther, ''
Frankfurter Rundschau
The ''Frankfurter Rundschau'' (FR) is a German daily newspaper, based in Frankfurt am Main. It is published every day but Sunday as a city, two regional and one nationwide issues and offers an online edition (see link below) as well as an e-pa ...
'', October 19, 2018
Mati Shemoelof on the new literature lexis icon ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', 2016
"Between family and postcolonial Earth" By Yitzhak Laor, ''
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
, August 24, 2007.
* History & Theory, Issue No. 4 – The Ides of April
Eli Petel: Re-identity, Social Process and Inter-generational Vista
Tahel Frosh, ''Haaretz'', 29.03.2008.
As a New Black Panther Party Forms, Poetry and Music Bring Mizrahi Jews Together in Celebration 31, Mati Shemoelof Guerrilla Culture, The Poetic Science of Resistance 8/12/2008
poets, artists, activists visit embattled Beduin Village, Ben Hartman, Jerusalem Post, 22.8.2010Mati Shemoelofon
Lyrikline.org, 2013.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shemoelof, Mati
1972 births
Living people
Israeli poets
Israeli male bloggers
Israeli Mizrahi Jews
Israeli journalists