Israeli Poetry's Brightest Flame

For this upcoming Lag B'Omer, the Jewish holiday of light celebrated by lighting bonfires, Marcela reads work by poet Agi Mishol. Here's a glimpse of his very own Lag B'Omer bonfire:

"You piss on my love as if it were a bonfire, extinguishing it ember by ember with the arrogance of the perfect crime..."

One of Israel's most popular living poets, Agi Mishol's work has been described thus by literary scholar Dan Miron:

"In contemporary Israeli poetry, intense, white flames appear against the dark, burning background, whose smoke is greater than the fire… Agi Mishol’s poetry is one of the brightest of these flames."

Texts: “Sermon at Latrun” translated by Joanna Chen “Wax Flowers” translated by Joanna Chen

Further Reading: Look There, translated by Lisa Katz, Graywolf Press, St. Paul, MN, 2006

Music: Rivka Zohar - Rabi Akivah (lyrics by Dahlia Ravikovitch) Maya Mishol - Rakavet Tachana

This episode originally aired on May 25, 2016.