My piece in haaretz is in the paper: here . Tell the paper what you think of it.
I don't have details about Asher Green yet, but his body is being brought to Israel.
I need to say a few things about culture and literature or I'll go totally mad. The reality of things is too much for me.
So I went to the premiere of the play "Did it happen or not?" (Haya o lo haya) by Edna MAzia. It is the story of the rebellious poet Alexander Penn and the great actress of the Habima Theater, Hana Robina. It's also the story of the history of poetry in Israel in the twentieth century, the need to preserve tradition and to modernize an ancient language in a new civilization. So half the play is about civilization and half the play is about this amazing affair of the creators of this new civilization. Where do they fit together? They are both models of love and drama in Tel Aviv.
January 5, 2008
The site of the Cameri doesn't tell you much about the plays. They don't even use the title I translated for Hanoch Levin's play "Thrill My Heart" (they have it as "Make my Heart Flutter" which is also good). They do have a good introduction for "Requiem".
The point is that Cameri is one of the institutions in Israel that create and maintain culture. There are a lot of them, and they're all busy scrambling for money.
Speaking of scrambling for money, the Israel Association of Writers in English, which I chair, is a non-profit association that could be doing a lot of good in the world but depends on the charity of strangers. The last literary evening, on Thursday evening, took place in Kehiyat Yedida in Jerusalem, and the next one will be on January 22 in Tmol Shilshom. See the website of one of the institutions for details. Anyway there was such an appreciative audience there - so many people dying to hear and read their works, so many people who want and need to develop their talent through communication with others. And yet, no money, no organization. In the old days we had the writers' house in Tel Aviv to rally around, to meet, to get mail. But that money has been cut off.
January 6, 2007
Can you see this? Maybe not, but I've got to learn how to upload pdf sometime. In the mean time i'll just tell you that there is a conference on Poetic Natures: The Environment and the Arts from Jan 8-10. haaretz did a little blurb about it
January 7, 2008
The funeral of Asher Green will be on Tuesday at 17:30 at the Beit Hesped Kehilat Yerushalayim, on Har Menuhot. The Greens will be sitting shivah at, Rechov Avigayil 3, Abu Tor. Starting on Wednesday, Shacharit will be at 7:00 and Mincha at 16:30, followed by a short shiur and Maariv.No mincha on Erev Shabbat. Maariv on Motzei Shabbat at 17:30.
Have you seen "Arab Work," the latest sitcom to conquer my heart? I am watching the program on Passover but since half is in Arabic I have to pay attention in order to understand. With a normal program in English or Hebrew or English I can do other things at the same time. This I don't want to miss. So I'll be back after the conference.
Janaury 9, 2008. The worst has happened. after a few hours in gilman carousing, my new computer has returned with a virus. totally inoperable. and although i'm managing to write there is no reason to want to. i cant even remember that bush is here, watching dancing schoolgirls,
