Futureman

by David Avidan, Tsipi Keller (Translator), Anat Weisman (Introduction)

David Avidan was himself a Futureman, a self-described "Galactic Poet" and radical individualist known for his innovative use of Hebrew both on the page and in his performances and films. Recognized by the New York Times as one of the poets that "helped the biblical tongue evolve into a modern, living language," Avidan played in his work with lexical and syntactical innovations, neologisms, various registers of Hebrew throughout its history, and colloquial speech, which he believed deserved its place in poetry. Ever the innovator, in 1974 he even conducted a poetic dialogued with a computer. Futureman, in Tsipi Keller's virtuosic translation, introduces selections from across Avidan's groundbreaking oeuvre to English-language readers for the first time.

180 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2017

About the author

David Avidan (Hebrew: דוד אבידן) was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and studied Literature and Philosophy while briefly studying at Hebrew University. He wrote mostly in Hebrew, and was an avant-garde artist throughout his life. He translated many of his own poems into English, and received several awards both as a poet and as a translator.

He was not popular with most critics or the general public throughout his life, often criticized as being egocentric, chauvinistic, and technocratic. His first book, Lipless Faucets (1954), was attacked by nearly all poetry critics; the first favorable review was by Gabriel Moked, editor of the literary quarterly Akhshav, who later became one of Avidan's closest friends.

By the early 1990s he could scarcely make a living, and his mental condition had deteriorated. Avidan died in Tel Aviv, the city which had played a central role in his life, and was, in many ways, the center of his creation.

Since his death, Avidan's reputation has been on the rise both in literary circles and in the popular imagination, positioning him as one the core poets of the Israeli canon.

Reviews

[Edvards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avidan's poetry gets absolutely off the wall sometimes, and Tsipi Keller captures this wonderfully. Some of it reliably will be a miss for most people. Which bit of it that is depends on the reader.