The 22nd Love of Poetry Festival
26-27-12-2018 | Wednesday-Thursday December 26-27th | 18-19th of Tevet
The Festival will take place in the National Library building
A Celebration of Jewish-Israeli Poetry and Music
"Under This Blazing Light" (Amos Oz)
Seven Decades of Poetry
With the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Jerusalem Municipality
What does this place, this land with all its beauty and all its sights, its people and its history, do to the poetry which is written in it? And how does that poetry shape the land and its writers?
In the 70th year of the State of Israel, the National Library and the poetry magazine "Mashiv Haruach" invite you to join us on a fascinating tour through the seven realms of poetry being written here:
We will walk between Hebrew and other mother-tongues, we will see the magnificent views of the land, both external and internal, we will share the anxieties and wishes of Israeli parenthood, we will touch the face of war with open eyes, we will trace our faith, and we will reside in happiness and hope.
Musicians, artists and especially poets will be taking part in the festival, among them graduates of the "Bustan" program. Original materials from the National Library archives and collections will be incorporated into the festival – including texts by Haim Gouri, Abraham Sutzkever, Else Lasker-Schüler, Agi Mishol and more.
26-12-2018 | Wednesday December 26th | 18th of Tevet
18:00 | Multi-purpose hall, 1st floor, the National Library building
"May my Tongue Cling"
Hebrew as a language of speech and poetry. Hebrew, the ancient language of the people, has never been taken for granted. The event will raise issues such as multi-culturalism, the struggle between languages, the relationship of Israeli Hebrew with its predecessors and more.
With: Liel Alexandra Admon, Almog Behar, Efrat Mishori
Music: Shira Z. Carmel
Host: Rafi Reichert
19:30 | Multi-purpose hall, 1st floor, the National Library building
A Song for a Sleeping Child
The experience of parenthood and all its aspects: The expectations, the difficulties, birth, raising infants, adolescents and adults, after all, it never ends.
With: Liel Alexandra Admon, Almog Behar, Efrat Mishori
With: Sigal Ben-Yair, Raquel Chalfi, Amichai Chasson, Lior Shternberg
Music: Maytal Michaeli
Host: Adi Assis
21:00 | Ardon Hall, 1st floor, the National Library building
Words of War
War – we live and die in it. We have been breathing in war for seven decades. Beginning with a tribute to the poets of the Palmach generation, we will discuss war poetry in Israel throughout the generations, dealing also with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with the hopes for better days.
With: Karen Alkalay-Gut, Idan Barir, Sivan Har-Shefi, Anat Zecharia, Ronny Someck, Zvika Sternfeld
Music: Ajur
Host: Batel Kolman
Entry to events is free of charge. Please register in advance
27-12-2018 | Thursday December 27 | 19 of Tevet
17:00-18:00
Poetry Tour at the Library
A tour marking 70 years of Israeli poetry. Participants will be shown selected items from the archives of both well-known and lesser-known Hebrew poets, kept at the National Library.
18:00 | Multi-purpose hall, 1st floor, the National Library building
Poetry Tour at the Library
A tour marking 70 years of Israeli poetry. Participants will be shown selected items from the archives of both well-known and lesser-known Hebrew poets, kept at the National Library.
With: Miri Gilad, Yoram Wearth, Yossef Ozer
Music: Yifat Natovich
Host: Zvi Gilat
19:30 | Multi-purpose hall, 1st floor, the National Library building
The Root of the ComplaintLand, Time, Poetry
This event will allow us to complain a bit, together and individually, we will examine the roots of our complaining in our personal and collective biographies. The evening will end before any white smoke appears, with the hope that some benefit will be gained.
With: Alon Bar, Shai Dotan, Haya (Claire) Levi, Agi Mashol
Music: Amir Lev
Host: Shlomit Naim Mor
21:00 Ardon Hall, the National Library building
The 10th Singing Poets Competition
Various artists and ensembles will perform original music set to poems from the pages of "Mashiv Haruach" magazine, and compete for the Mashiv Haruach prize for original music.
Judges: Amir Lev, Bakol Serlui, Ben Shalev
Musical Director: Efrat Apter
Host: Yonatan Konda
Entry to events is free of charge. Please register in advance
Artistic directors: Rafi Reichert, Eliaz Cohen, Batel Kolman
Festival director: Efrat Cohen
National Library team: Ruty Rubinshtein, Moriah Bar-Gil
Production, advertising and marketing: Adi Shiloh
Design: Elad Lifshitz
PR: Vered Yersushalmi
