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Wild Light: Selected Poems of Yona Wallach
Book by Wallach, Yona
- GenresPoetry
74 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
54 people want to read
About the author
Yona Wallach
12 books11 followersYona Wallach (1944 - 1985, b. Tel Aviv) was raised in the town of Kiryat Ono (of which her father was a founder). near Tel Aviv. Her father died when she was a young child.
Wallach was active in the "Tel Aviv poets" circle which emerged around the journals Achshav and Siman Kriah in the 1960s, and was a frequent contributor to Israeli literary periodicals. She also wrote for and appeared with an Israeli rock group, and in 1982 her poetry was set to music and a record released. She died in 1985 following a protracted illness. Characterized by "an abundance of nervous energy," Yona Wallach's work combines elements from rock and roll, Jungian psychology and street slang in a body of work known for its break-neck pace and insistent sexuality. Writing in fluid lines, refusing to be limited by any conventional poetic structures, Wallach took upon herself the feminine revolution in Hebrew poetry. Presenting a provocative, blatantly sexual female figure, she became a stylistic model for many women poets.
—ithl.org.il
Wallach was active in the "Tel Aviv poets" circle which emerged around the journals Achshav and Siman Kriah in the 1960s, and was a frequent contributor to Israeli literary periodicals. She also wrote for and appeared with an Israeli rock group, and in 1982 her poetry was set to music and a record released. She died in 1985 following a protracted illness. Characterized by "an abundance of nervous energy," Yona Wallach's work combines elements from rock and roll, Jungian psychology and street slang in a body of work known for its break-neck pace and insistent sexuality. Writing in fluid lines, refusing to be limited by any conventional poetic structures, Wallach took upon herself the feminine revolution in Hebrew poetry. Presenting a provocative, blatantly sexual female figure, she became a stylistic model for many women poets.
—ithl.org.il
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 26, 2011
Wild Light is a collection of poetry that leaves me with a bittersweet feeling, afterward.
On the one hand, I feel like much is not only lost in the translation, but that this particular translation is more word-for-word than it is a quality translation. The grammatical structures are sloppy and make for a difficult read, at times. Granted, I'm not a Yona Wallach scholar, but I have read quite a few collections of Israeli, Palestinian, and Persian poetry -- and none of them have such a rugged flow as this collection.
On the other hand, I'm very thankful that a collection of Wallach's poetry is available in English. While the translation seems to be lacking, I can draw enough from what is there to appreciate the art and depth of Wallach's work.
The subject matter ranges from the religious to the sexual and combines the two in many instances.
My favorite poem in the collection is "Tefillin," in which Wallach sexualizes the sacred Jewish ritual of Tefillin.
I would recommend this collection to anyone on a budget or who thinks they're open to "working with" what one may consider an unconventional translation.
Wallach's work is definitely worth looking into, I'm just not sure that this is a quality representation of the brilliance of her pen.
On the one hand, I feel like much is not only lost in the translation, but that this particular translation is more word-for-word than it is a quality translation. The grammatical structures are sloppy and make for a difficult read, at times. Granted, I'm not a Yona Wallach scholar, but I have read quite a few collections of Israeli, Palestinian, and Persian poetry -- and none of them have such a rugged flow as this collection.
On the other hand, I'm very thankful that a collection of Wallach's poetry is available in English. While the translation seems to be lacking, I can draw enough from what is there to appreciate the art and depth of Wallach's work.
The subject matter ranges from the religious to the sexual and combines the two in many instances.
My favorite poem in the collection is "Tefillin," in which Wallach sexualizes the sacred Jewish ritual of Tefillin.
I would recommend this collection to anyone on a budget or who thinks they're open to "working with" what one may consider an unconventional translation.
Wallach's work is definitely worth looking into, I'm just not sure that this is a quality representation of the brilliance of her pen.
May 21, 2023
'בנקיק נסתר בצוקים
אילה שותה מים
מה לי ולה
אלא צוקי לבי
אלא מעין חיי
אלא נסתר
אילה
מה לי ולה
אלא אהבתי'
אילה שותה מים
מה לי ולה
אלא צוקי לבי
אלא מעין חיי
אלא נסתר
אילה
מה לי ולה
אלא אהבתי'
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November 2, 2018892.416 W195w 1997
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews