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Nathan Alterman ( he, נתן אלתרמן, August 14, 1910 – March 28, 1970) 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 writte ...
,
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
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
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 ''transla ...
. Though never holding any elected office, Alterman was highly influential in
Socialist Zionist Labor Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת סוֹצְיָאלִיסְטִית, ) or socialist Zionism ( he, תְּנוּעָת הָעַבוֹדָה, label=none, translit=Tnuʽat haʽavoda) refers to the left-wing, socialist variation of Zionism. ...
politics, both before and after the establishment of the modern
State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in 1948.


Biography

Nathan Alterman was born in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
(then part of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
). In 1925, when he was 15 years old, the family moved to
Tel Aviv 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 he continued his studies at the
Herzliya Hebrew High School The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium ( he, הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, ''HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya'', Also known as ''Gymnasia Herzliya''), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High Scho ...
. When he was 19 years old, he travelled to Paris to study at the
University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revolution. ...
(a.k.a. La Sorbonne), but a year later he decided to go to Nancy to study
agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and s ...
. Though maintaining close contacts with his family and friends in Tel Aviv and visiting them on vacations, Alterman spent three years in France and was highly influenced by his occasional meetings with French artists and writers. On his return to Tel Aviv in 1932, he started working at the
Mikveh Yisrael Mikveh Israel ( he, מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, 'Hope of Israel') is a youth village and boarding school in the Tel Aviv District of central Israel, established in 1870. It was the first Jewish agricultural school in what is now Israe ...
agricultural school, but soon left it in favour of working as a journalist and poet. In 1933, when Alterman was 33 years old, he joined the literary circle "Together" ( he, יחדיו). Members of that literary group published the literary magazine "Columns" ( he, טורים) and rebelled against the literary establishment of that time, identified with the poet
Hayim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Bialik ( he, חיים נחמן ביאַליק; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934), was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew but also in Yiddish. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poetry. He was part of the vangu ...
and his followers. On the 22nd of August, 1934, he married Rachel Marcus, an actress in "The Cameri Theatre" ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי) In January 1941 their only daughter was born: Tirtza Atar, who would grow up to become a poetess herself. Alterman is credited with bringing the seeds of the
marmande Marmande (; in Occitan, ''Marmanda'') is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne ''département'' in south-western France. Geography Marmande is located 35 km north-west of Agen, on the southern railway from Bordeaux to Sète. The town is situate ...
tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
to Israel, where it was the main species cultivated in the country until the 1960s.


Literary career

In 1933, when he was 23 years old, Alterman began to write songs for the vaudeville theatre "The Broom" ( he, המטאטא)." In 1934, he began to publish in the daily newspaper
Davar ''Davar'' ( he, דבר, lit. ''Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. It was relaunched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an online outlet by ...
a rhymed column named "Tel Aviv Sketches" ( he, סקיצות תל אביביות). that addressed current affairs and during four months 26 of these rhymed columns were published. In November 1934 he left Davar and began to publish in the daily newspaper
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 ...
a similar column named "Moments" ( he, רגעים) but this time the columns had a less lyrical and more satirical nature, and he continued to publish these columns for eight years during which he published a total of 297 columns. Alterman's first published book of poetry was ''Kokhavim Bakhuts'' ("Stars Outside"), published in 1938. This volume, with its "neo-romantic themes, highly charged texture, and metrical virtuosity," as Israeli critic
Benjamin Harshav Benjamin Harshav (Hebrew: בנימין הרשב), born Hrushovski (Hebrew: הרושובסקי); June 26, 1928 – April 23, 2015 was a literary theorist specialising in comparative literature, a Yiddish and Hebrew poet (under pen names including H ...
puts it, established him as a major force in modern
Hebrew literature Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews. Hebrew literature was pr ...
. His next major book was "The Joy of the Poor" ( he, שִׂמְחת עניים ''ṡimḥàt aniyím'', 1941). This is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria consisting of 31 interconnected poems, all from the viewpoint of the ghost of a dead man obsessed with the living woman he loves – a reversal of the
Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...
and
Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...
story. The dead man wants to protect his living love from war and poverty, but more than anything he wants to drag her into his world. His plans are continually frustrated. The light from a humble candle is enough to drive him back. The story reads like a supernatural thriller, but the rhyme and the meters are regular and elegant. In 1942, when the first news about the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ar ...
reached the Zionist Jewish community in
British Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
, Alterman wrote a poem, which can be described as a sarcastic paraphrase on the Jewish
prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
, "Praised are You ... who has chosen us out of all the nations". In this poem Alterman says, "At our children's cry, shadowed by scaffolds, we heard not the world's furor. For you have chosen us out of all nations, you loved and favoured us. For you have chosen us of all nations, of Norwegians, Czechs and Britons. As they march toward scaffolds, Jewish children of reason, they know their blood shan't be reckoned among the rest, they just call to the mother 'turn away your face'." In 1943, Alterman wrote the
maqama ''Maqāmah'' (مقامة, pl. ''maqāmāt'', مقامات, literally "assemblies") are an (originally) Arabic prosimetric literary genre which alternates the Arabic rhymed prose known as '' Saj‘'' with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical ...
"The Swedish Tongue", in which he praised Sweden's willingness to welcome Jewish refugees from Denmark. In 1943, he also wrote a poem that was critical of Pope
Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Piu ...
, a poem that is featured at the
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
museum. In 1945–1947, Alterman's weekly column in the Labour Movement "
Davar ''Davar'' ( he, דבר, lit. ''Word'') was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. It was relaunched in 2016, under the name ''Davar Rishon'' as an online outlet by ...
" newspaper denounced the British army's oppressive measures and praising the illegal immigrant boats landing Jewish
holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally acce ...
on the country's shores, in defiance of British policy. The most well-known of these is the 1945 "In Praise of an Italian Captain" ( he, נאום תשובה לרב חובל איטלקי). In the early stages of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
he wrote numerous patriotic poems, the most well-known of which is "The Silver Platter" ( he, מגש הכסף ''magásh ha-késef''). Having become a canonical text read on Israel's Remembrance Day, this poem was written in response to
Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israe ...
's words in December 1947, after the adoption of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, "No state is ever handed on a silver platter... The partition plan does not give the Jews but an opportunity". In his poem, Alterman describes a scene similar to the
Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
Revelation on Mount Sinai, where the Jewish People are waiting to receive the Jewish state, as the Israelite were waiting to receive the
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
. And yet, instead of
Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
descending with the
Tablets of Stone According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tablets of the Law (also Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony; Biblical Hebrew: לוּחֹת הַבְּרִית ''lûḥōt habbǝrît'' "tablets of the covenant", לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן ' ...
, the people see two unfamiliar youths, a boy and a girl, wounded and near dead with exhaustion. When asked, "Who are you?" they reply, "We are the silver platter on which the state of the Jews was handed to you". Alterman translated
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
,
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
,
Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
, Gozzi, Molnar,
Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...
,
Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
,
Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
, Ionesco, Courteline, Priestley,
Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...
,
Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...
, de Beaumarchais,
Jonson Jonson is a surname, and may refer to: * Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popu ...
, Labiche, Ostrovsky into Hebrew and
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...
. He wrote the lyrics of the famous
Moshe Vilenski Moshe Wilensky ( he, משה וילנסקי, also, "Vilensky"; 17 April 1910 – 2 January 1997) was a Polish-Israeli composer, lyricist, and pianist. He is considered a "pioneer of Israeli song" and one of Israel's leading composers, and was a wi ...
song Kalaniyot, sung by
Shoshana Damari Shoshana Damari ( he, שושנה דמארי; March 31, 1923 – February 14, 2006) was a Yemeni- Israeli singer known as the "Queen of Hebrew Music." Biography Shoshana Damari was born in Dhamar, Yemen. Her family immigrated to Mandate Pal ...
. Some of Alterman's poems have been turned into popular songs, e.g., "A meeting with no end" (פגישה לאין קץ). An episode in Season 3 of the Israeli Netflix show '' Shtisel'' is named after one of his poems, "First Smile," which is read at a memorial service during the show. An English-language translation of "First Smile" by Robert Friend (from Found in Translation, Toby Press, 2006) is also included in the episode.


Political activism

During the 1950s, Alterman was opposed to the
martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...
imposed at the time on Israel's Arab citizens (until 1966), and was also strongly supportive of workers' struggle such as the 1952 sailors' strike which was suppressed by the Ben Gurion Government. After the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Jun ...
, Alterman was one of the founders of the
Movement for Greater Israel The Movement for Greater Israel ( he, התנועה למען ארץ ישראל השלמה, ''HaTenu'a Lema'an Eretz Yisrael HaSheleima'', officially called themselves in English ''Land of Israel Movement'') was a political organisation in Israel du ...
finding himself in alliance with right-wing activists whom he greatly opposed in earlier times of his career. He criticized
David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...
(who only held at the time the position of a
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with th ...
member, but was still influential) for being too willing to give up the territories captured during the war in return for a peace agreement.


Awards and recognition

Alterman has been featured on Israel's
NIS Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to: Places * Niš, a city in Serbia * Nis, Iran, a village * Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands Businesses and organizations * Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry of ...
200 bill since 2016. * In 1946, Alterman received the Tchernichovsky Prize for exemplary translation, for his translations of plays ''
Phèdre ''Phèdre'' (; originally ''Phèdre et Hippolyte'') is a French dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris. Composition and premiere With ...
'' by
Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...
and ''
Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' by
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. * In 1947, he received the Ruppin Prize for his book "''Joy of the Poor''". * In 1957, Alterman was awarded 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 literature. * In 1967, he again received the Tchernichovsky Prize, for translations of the plays of Moliere. * In 1968, he was awarded the
Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cere ...
, for literature. * In 2011, his portrait was chosen to be on Israel's currency.Nadav Shemer, ''Jerusalem Post'', 3/10/2011


Books (Hebrew)


Poetry

* ''Stars Outside'' ( he, כוכבים בחוץ). Yachdav Publishing, 1938; Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1945; Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1995 * ''Joy of the Poor'' ( he, שמחת עניים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1941 * ''Plague Poems'' ( he, שירי מכות מצרים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1944 * ''The Seventh Column ol. 1' ( he, הטור השביעי : שירי העת והעתון). Am Oved Publishing, 1948; New editions: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2003; 2004 * ''The Seventh Column ol. 2'' ( he, הטור השביעי : שירי העת והעתון, ספר שני). Davar, 1954 * ''City of the Dove '' ( he, עיר היונה). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1957 * '' Poems of Ten Brothers '' ( he, שיר עשרה אחים). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1961 * ''Summer Celebration'' ( he, חגיגת קיץ). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1965 * ''Pythagoras' Trial '' ( he, משפט פיתגורס). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1965 * ''Moments'' ( he, רגעים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1974 * ''The Silver Platter: Selected Poems '' ( he, מגש הכסף : מבחר שירים). Ministry of Defense, 1974 * ''The Front Stand'' ( he, העמדה הקדמית : משירי העת והעתון). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1980 * ''From: Stars Outside, Joy of the Poor, Plague Poems, City of the Dove'' ( he, מתוך ׳כוכבים בחוץ׳, ׳שמחת עניים׳, ׳שירי מכות מצרים׳, ׳עיר היונה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1980 * ''Poems 1931-1935'' ( he, שירים 1935-1931). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1984 * ''In Praise of Frivolity '' ( he, שבחי קלות הדעת ). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1997 * ''Poems of Yore'' ( he, שירים שמכבר}). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1999 * ''The Seventh Column : Israeli Art from the Benno Kalev's Collection'' ( he, הטור השביעי : אמנות ישראלית מאוסף בנו כלב). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2000


Plays

* ''Kinneret, Kinneret '' ( he, כנרת, כנרת). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1962 * ''Ghosts' Inn '' ( he, פונדק הרוחות). Amikam, 1963 * ''Esther the Queen'' ( he, אסתר המלכה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1966 * ''Last Days of Ur '' ( he, ימי אור האחרונים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1990


Children-Picture Books

* ''The Tenth Chick '' ( he, האפרוח העשירי). Machbarot Lesifrut Publishing, 1943; new editions - Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1973, 2005 * ''The Singing Book of Friendship '' ( he, ספר התבה המזמרת). Machbarot Lesifrut, 1958 * ''The Puzzle Book'' ( he, ספר החידות). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971 * ''To Children'' ( he, לילדים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1972 * ''Og King of Bashan'' ( he, עוג מלך הבשן). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1975, new edition 2011 * ''Rhymes for children'' ( he, חרוזים לילדים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, ;1976 new edition 2002 * ''What a Wonder'' ( he, איזה פלא). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1983 * ''A Tale of a Small Chirik'' ( he, מעשה בחיריק קטן). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2003 * ''A Tale of a Final Pe'' ( he, מעשה בפ"א סופית). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2000 * ''It All Happened at Hannuka'' ( he, זה היה בחנכה, או, נס גדול היה פה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2001


Songs

* ''Love Poems'' ( he, שירי אהבה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1998 * ''Tel-Aviv Serenade'' ( he, סרנדה תל-אביבית). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1999 * ''You Should Ring Twice'' ( he, צריך לצלצל פעמיים : שירי-זמר, שירי-ספר, פזמונים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Israel Broadcasting Authority , 2002


Satire

* ''The Final Mask'' ( he, המסכה האחרונה). Maariv, 1968


Non-Fiction

* ''Breaking the Circle'' ( he, במעגל : מאמרים ורשימות, תרצ״ב־תשכ״ח). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971 * ''The Triangular Thread'' ( he, החוט המשולש). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1971 * ''The Alterman Notebooks'' ol A( he, מחברות אלתרמן, כרך א׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House together with Katz Research Institute for Hebrew Literature, Tel-Aviv University, 1977 * ''Little Tel Aviv'' ( he, תל־אביב הקטנה). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1979 * ''The Alterman Notebooks'' ol B( he, מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ב׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House and Mosad Alterman, 1979 * ''The Alterman Notebooks'' ol C( he, מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ג׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House and Mosad Alterman, 1981 * ''Between the Poet and the Statesman'' ( he, בין המשורר למדינאי ). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1981, ext. ed. Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1986 * ''The Alterman Notebooks'' ol D( he, מחברות אלתרמן, כרך ד׳). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 1986 * ''Both Roads'' ( he, על שתי הדרכים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Mosad Alterman, 1989 * ''Essays and Articles'' ( he, סער ופרץ : פרוזה ומאמרים). Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2019


See also

*
List of Bialik Prize recipients 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 ...
*
List of Israel Prize recipients This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022. List For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize w ...
*


References


Further reading

*''
The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself ''The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself'' is an anthology of modern Hebrew poetry, presented in the original language, with a transliteration into Roman script, a literal translation into English, and commentaries and explanations. Two editions of this bo ...
'' (2003),


External links


Nathan Alterman on the Poetry International Web
* Tsur Erlich
"Nathan the Wise"
''Azure'' (Spring 2007)
N. Alterman – Israel and Zionism

Poetry International Web Israel – Nathan Alterman

Yossi Banai reading Nathan Alterman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alterman, Nathan 1910 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Israeli poets Modern Hebrew writers Israeli columnists Israel Prize in literature recipients Israeli male dramatists and playwrights Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium alumni Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Writers from Warsaw Hebrew-language poets University of Paris alumni 20th-century Israeli dramatists and playwrights Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Polish expatriates in France Translators to Hebrew English–Hebrew translators French–Hebrew translators Translators to Yiddish Translators from Russian Israeli agronomists Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery 20th-century translators Mandatory Palestine expatriates in France 20th-century agronomists