Erez Biton ( he, ארז ביטון; born 1942 in Oran,

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) is an Algerian-born Israeli poet of Moroccan descent. He is the 2015 recipient of the Israel Prize for Hebrew Literature and Poetry, among other literary awards.

Biography

Erez Biton was born in Oran in a Moroccan Jewish family. His family fled

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in 1948, and made aliyah to Israel. He grew up in Lod. At the age of 10, he lost his vision and his left hand to a stray hand grenade that he had found. The following year he went to school at Jerusalem's Institute for the Blind. He earned a B.A. in social work from 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 an M.A. in psychology at

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...

. Biton is married to Rachel Calahorra Biton and the couple have two children.

Career

Following his studies, Biton worked as a social worker in

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...

for seven years and as a psychologist in an outlying town. He worked as a journalist and published a weekly column in the Israeli mainstream daily ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...

''. His first book, ''Mincha Marokait'' (Moroccan Gift), published in 1976, established him as the founding father of Mizrahi poetry in Israel.

Published works

Poetry

*''Mincha Maroka'it'' ( he, מנחה מרוקאית) "Moroccan Gift," Eked, 1976 *''Sefer Hana'na'' ( he, ספר הנענע) "The Book of Mint," Eked, 1979 *''Tsipor bein Yabashot'' ( he, ציפור בין יבשות) "Intercontinental Bird", 1990 *''Timbisert, Tsipor Maroka'it'' ( he, תמביסרת, ציפור מרוקאית), "Timbisert, a Moroccan Bird", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2009 *''Nofim Khavushei Einayim'' ( he, נופים חבושי עיניים) "Blindfolded Landscapes", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2013 *''Bet Hapsanterim'' (Hebrew: בית הפסנתרים) "The House of Pianos", Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2015

Drama

*''Sulika'' ( he, סוליקה) "Soulika", Snir, 2005

Awards and recognition

*(2015) Biton was awarded the Israel Prize for Literature, the first Mizrahi Jew to receive it. The prize committee described his poems as being "the epitome of courageous dealings, sensitive and deep with a wide range of personal and collective experiences centered around the pain of migration, planting roots in the country, and the reestablishment of the Mizrahi identity as an integral part of the overall Israeli portrait.” *(2014)

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 Lifetime Achievement *(2014) Yehuda Amichai Prize *(1988) Prime Minister's Prize *(1982) Miriam Talpir Prize

References

External links

Biography and bibliography
at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature
Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World
by Stanley Nash, p 6 sq {{DEFAULTSORT:Biton, Erez Israeli poets Israeli columnists Israeli social workers 1942 births Living people Bar-Ilan University alumni Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare alumni Algerian people of Moroccan-Jewish descent Algerian emigrants to Israel Israeli blind people Israel Prize in Hebrew poetry recipients