Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading (Virtual on Zoom)

Hebrew Writers: Film Biographies and Text Reading (Virtual on Zoom)

A 2-part series of 2-session mini-courses that introduce students to some of the great canonical Hebrew writers and some who broke the very molds of the literary canon. The class will be based on students watching the stellar documentaries in the Ha-Ivrim Series (https://ivrim.co.il/en/) before each session and discussing both the film and the key passages from each writer’s works.

All readings will be sent to class registrants 1 week before the start of the course.

PART I: Shirelle Doughty: Yona Wallach and Jacqueline Kahanoff           

Tuesday, March 22: Yona Wallach: Hebrew and the Sexmaniac @ 7:00 – 8:15 pm: Yona Wallach transgressed poetic and social boundaries in her work, writing in a style that defies neat analysis and on topics that shocked her audiences. We will read several of her poems, including “Hebrew,” “Tefillin,” “Strawberries,” and “A Man Not Man / A Woman Not Woman,” and discuss the significance of themes of gender classification, sadomasochism, and mysticism in her poetry. Watch the film (rent for $7.99) BEFORE the class: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theseventapes Readings: Selected Prose Texts

Tuesday, April 5: Jacqueline Kahanoff: In Praise of the Levant @ 7:00 – 8:15 pm: Kahanoff was born in Egypt and immigrated to Israel, where she encountered disparaging attitudes towards “Levantinism.” We will look at her Levantine Writings, which challenged Israeli stereotypes about the Levant, and offer beautiful reflections on her life in Egypt and in Israel. Watch the film ($7.99) BEFORE class: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/levantine Readings:  Selected Poems                                                                 

PART II: Vered Weiss: Chaim Nachman Bialik and Leah Goldberg

Tuesday, April 12: Chaim Nachman Bialik: Between the Private and Political @ 7:00 – 8:15 pm: Reading Israel’s “national poet” we will consider tensions between the private and political.

Watch the film ($7.99) BEFORE class: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bialikkingofthejews

Readings: Bialik Take Me Under Your Wing, A Twig Alighted, excerpts from In the City of Slaughter.

Tuesday, April 26: Leah Goldberg: Constructions of Home and Belonging: @ 7:00 – 8:15 pm:

Reading Goldberg’s poetry and famous children’s play, we will consider how questions of home and belonging are explored in Goldberg’s work. Watch the film ($7.99) BEFORE class: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thefivehousesofleahgold
Readings: From My Mother’s House, Tel Aviv 1935, and A Flat for Rent.

Recorded Lessons:
Session 1—03/22/2022: This recording is not available.
Session 2—04/05/2022: https://youtu.be/OPz0GSYR_ek
Session 3—04/12/2022: https://youtu.be/ZzTk45xX6F8
Session 4—04/26/2022: https://youtu.be/j0xOCjWxYwY