From March 15–29, Israeli poet and scholar Hamutal Bar-Yosef will be in residence at UW–Madison as a Halls Visiting Scholar.
During her visit, she will present a poetry reading and public lecture, both of which are free and open to the public. She will also meet with students and faculty and guest teach several classes in the department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies.
Born in 1940 in a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee, Bar-Yosef has written poetry since the age of eight, expressing the trauma of bereavement and the miracle of inner survival. Since 1971 she has published nine collections of poetry, as well as short stories, a book for children, and two collections of poetry translated from Russian. She won the Akum Prize (1978), the Tel-Aviv Prize (1984), the Jerusalem Prize for poetry (1997), the WIZO Prize for the Creative Woman (1999), the President of Israel Prize for poetry (2002), and the Brenner Prize for poetry (2005). Her poems have been translated into English, French, German, Russian, Ukranian, Arabic, and Yiddish.
Now a professor emerita, Bar-Yosef taught in the Department of Hebrew Literature at Ben-Gurion University from 1987 through 2003. She has also published six books of literary research, among which are Trends of Decadence in Modern Hebrew Literature (Jerusalem, 1997) and Symbolism in Modern Poetry (2000). Her main fields of research are the Russian context of Jewish literature and culture, and mysticism in modern Hebrew poetry.
- Tuesday, March 20, Bar-Yosef will be joined by members of the departments of Slavic Languages and Literature, Hebrew and Semitic Studies, African Languages and Literature, French and Italian, and the Program in Creative Writing for a multilingual reading of her poetry in Hebrew, English, Arabic, French, and Russian. The reading will begin at 7:30 and take place in UW–Madison’s Lathrop Hall (1050 University Avenue); a reception will follow.
- Tuesday, March 27, Bar-Yosef will offer a public lecture entitled “How did Mysticism Penetrate into Jewish Studies? The Russian Context.” The lecture, which begins at 4:00, will take place at the Red Gym (716 Langdon Street).
Bar-Yosef’s residency is sponsored by the Halls Visiting Scholar fund, with additional support from the Center for Jewish Studies, Departments of Slavic Languages and Literature, Hebrew and Semitic Studies, French and Italian, Creative Writing, the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, and African Languages and Literature.
More information about Bar-Yosef’s residency is available online: http://jewishstudies.wisc.edu/events/baryosef. For additional questions, please contact the Center for Jewish Studies at 608-265-4763.
Story by Laurie Silverberg, Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies