Open Closed Open: Poems

New
Paperback
2006
$18.39

In poems marked by tenderness and mischief, humanity and humor, Yehuda Amichai breaks open the grand diction of revered Jewish verses and casts the light of his own experi-ence upon them. Here he tells of history, a nation, the self, love, and resurrection. Amichai's last volume is one of medi-tation and hope, and stands as a testament to one of Israel's greatest poets.
Open closed open. Before we are born, everything is open
in the universe without us. For as long as we live, everything is closed
within us. And when we die, everything is open again.
Open closed open. That's all we are.

--from I WASN'T ONE OF THE SIX MILLION:
AND WHAT IS MY LIFE SPAN? OPEN CLOSED OPEN

Synopsis

In poems marked by tenderness and mischief, humanity and humor, Yehuda Amichai breaks open the grand diction of revered Jewish verses and casts the light of his own experi-ence upon them. Here he tells of history, a nation, the self, love, and resurrection. Amichai's last volume is one of medi-tation and hope, and stands as a testament to one of Israel's greatest poets.

Open closed open. Before we are born, everything is open
in the universe without us. For as long as we live, everything is closed
within us. And when we die, everything is open again.
Open closed open. That's all we are.

--from I WASN'T ONE OF THE SIX MILLION:
AND WHAT IS MY LIFE SPAN? OPEN CLOSED OPEN

$18.39

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 204
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 06 Nov 2006
ISBN 10: 0156030500
ISBN 13: 9780156030502

Media Reviews

PRAISE FOR OPEN CLOSED OPEN

It is the dream of most poets to become a vox populi without having to sacrifice the subtleties and complexities of their craft . . . Yehuda Amichai is one of very few contemporary poets to have reached a broad cross-section without compromising his art. The New York Times Book Review

Nothing less than an heroic achievement of the spirit, a lofty and sometimes raucous meditation on the history of his nation, his faith, and his heart . . . It is an incomparable triumph. -- The New York Review of Books

He is one of our great poets . . . once one has heard his quiet, even tones, precise, distanced and passionate, one never forgets them. -The Times Literary Supplement Open Closed Open is the uncanny record of genuine inspiration. Happy is the man who has so much in his soul. -Leon Wieseltier Poets have always talked reverently about unlocking the human heart, but when I read Amichai I wonder who before him actually managed it. -Ted Hughes

He is one of our great poets . . . once one has heard his quiet, even tones, precise, distanced and passionate, one never forgets them. -The Times Literary Supplement Open Closed Open is the uncanny record of genuine inspiration. Happy is the man who has so much in his soul. -Leon Wieseltier Poets have always talked reverently about unlocking the human heart, but when I read Amichai I wonder who before him actually managed it. -Ted Hughes

Author Bio

YEHUDA AMICHAI (1924-2000) has long been considered one of the great poets of the twentieth century. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Israel Prize, his country's highest honor. His work has been translated into more than thirty-seven languages. Winner of the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation