Podcasts religion Israel in Translation A desert oasis through the eyes of a blind poet

A desert oasis through the eyes of a blind poet

Published: April 29, 2015, 2:01 p.m.

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A few weeks ago, Erez Biton was awarded the Israel Prize for literature, becoming the first Mizrahi Jew to receive the prize.\\xa0Of Moroccan descent, he was born in Algeria in 1942 and arrived in Israel in 1948 via France.

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After a joint reading with Yehuda Amichai in Arad, a town bordering the Negev and Judean Deserts, the two poets\\xa0traveled back to Jerusalem together. Biton asked Amichai to describe for him the essence of the desert as seen along the road. In response, Amichai held Bitton\'s hand for a few moments, saying nothing. Then Biton said: "Now I understand."

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Host Marcela Sulak reads the short poem Biton wrote about this experience, "To Say Desert." And she explains how his work is connected to his blindness, emphasizing\\xa0the unity between people and their landscape.

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Texts:

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Thanks to Mitch Ginsberg and\\xa0his\\xa0The Times of Israel article.

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Poems \\u201cTo Say Desert,\\u201d \\u201cThe Dog and His Master,\\u201d and \\u201cThe Wail of Women\\u201d translated by Tzippi Keller.

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Further reading:\\xa0The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself, Ed. Burnshaw, Carmi, et. al.

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Music:

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The Andalusian Orchestra - Moroccan Wedding (lyrics by Erez Biton)

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Zohra Al-Fassia -\\xa0Ayta Bid\\xe2wiyya

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