literature | Tel Aviv Fever

Telavivi comic book shop Comics N’ Vegetables wins international award

January 17th, 2012 | Comments Off

Comic book store Comics N’ Vegetables (CNV), did win the prestigious 2011 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, the third ever store outside North America since 1993. The award is granted to a store that has “done an outstanding job of supporting the comic art medium in the community and witin the industry at large”. CNV has done this job in Israel with verve since 2001, first with an online retail website and in 2005 started … Read entire article »

Filed under: art, books, city, events, featured, life, literature

Homage to Avigdor Arikha at Tel Aviv Museum of Art

October 5th, 2010 | Comments Off

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art will tribute a homage to the Romanian born Israeli painter Avigdor Arikha, who died last April the 29th. The exhibition will be in two parts. The first part, planned with the artist before his death, at the age of 81, includes illustrations to S.Y. Agnon‘s ‘A Stray Dog’ , woodcuts and drawings made during the 1950′s and represent Arikha’s development from the figurative to the abstracts. The second part presents 19 self-portraits: the earliest from 1948 and later ones with his image as a painter, working and observing himself, against the background of the studio and its surroundings. The latest portrait was made in 2001, in Arikha’s Paris studio, as he was approaching his 70th birthday. For more information: www.tamuseum.org.il … Read entire article »

Filed under: art, events, exhibitions, featured, history, literature

Ayman Sikseck: the young writer from Jaffa

April 13th, 2010 | Comments Off

Last Friday, April 9th, I did find an long and very interesting article written by Doron Halutz in Haaretz Magazine about the young columnist and literary critic, Ayman Sikseck. The 26 years old Ayman, born in Jaffa, just released his debut work of fiction: “To Jaffa”. It is a story about the expierence of a literature student at the Hebrew University who divides his time between Jaffa and Jerusalem, and between a secret affair with his beloved Sherihan, a Muslim woman who is engaged to someone else, and a relationship with Nitzan, a Jewish woman. The book is only in Hebrew for now, but Ayman told me a few days ago, that they are talking about an English translation. We will keep you informed.. … Read entire article »

Filed under: books, life, literature

City of Oranges

January 31st, 2010 | 2 Comments

In two days we will know if the Israeli film: Ajami, directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani will be nominated for an Oscar. For all the people who saw, or will see this awesome movie about the Ajami-neighborhood in Jaffo, I recommand an outstanding book about the Arab-Jewish history of Jaffo: “City of Oranges : Arabs and Jews in Jaffa”, written by Adam LeBor. In 357 pages (with a lot of historical pictures) Adam LeBor writes about the ordinary people and families in Jaffo, who are trying to get on with their lives in the middle of a interminable conflict. … Read entire article »

Filed under: city, history, life, literature

Franz Kafka in Tel Aviv

October 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment

An interesting article I found today in Haaretz Magazine, written by Ofer Aderet about a trial in the Tel Aviv District Family Court: who owns the papers and works of author Max Brod, Frans Kafka‘s friend and literary executor? … Read entire article »

Filed under: history, literature

Franz Kafka at the Cinematheque

September 4th, 2009 | Comments Off

Tuesday (September 8th) there will be an evening in the Cinematheque (21:00) dedicated to the author Franz Kafka, featuring a talk given by poet Natan Zach, followed by a screening of the doco-drama: Franz Kafka: Hunger artist, directed by Peter Freistadt. Information: 03-606.0800 … Read entire article »

Filed under: literature, movies

Tel Aviv is burning

August 15th, 2009 | Comments Off

No, there is no need to call the fire department, but if you have been here in Tel Aviv the last few weeks, you probably have felt that hell came down to visit. This Friday noon I hang out with a friend in Neve Tzedek. I’m used to the fact that in summer there is less traffic (Israeli’s do travel), but both me and my friend were a little surprised to see only a small amount of people in the streets, many of them being French tourists. Even the coffee shops were not very occupied. It seems that we, the rough and tough Israelis were defeated by the sun. So, if you are like me, a sweat hater, here are some ideas for cool hiding places (sorry, malls are not here … Read entire article »

Filed under: exhibitions, life, literature

In memory: Amos Kenan

August 6th, 2009 | Comments Off

On August the 4th, Amos Kenan, the columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist, passed away at age of 82. Kenan was born in 1927 in South-Tel Aviv. He wrote the first anti-establishment column in Israel, the satirical “Uzi & Co”. He lived in Paris from 1954 until 1962, were he befriended Jean-Paul Sartre, Herbert Macuse and Noam Chomsky. In 1962, he received the Sam Spiegel Prize, in 1970 the Israel Cinema Council Prize and in 1998 the Brenner Prize. His 1948 novel: “The Road to Ein-Harod“, was made into a film in 1990. A great man is gone… … Read entire article »

Filed under: art, books, literature

Comic festival coming to Tel Aviv

July 26th, 2009 | Comments Off

The 9th International Animation, Comics & Caricature Festival will be opening in the Cinematheque on August 19th until August 22nd. The festival will include the screening of hundreds of animated films, workshops, exhibitions, lectures, children activities and comic stands. … Read entire article »

Filed under: art, events, exhibitions, literature

Turning tables

July 9th, 2009 | Comments Off

Found this lovey article: “Turning tables”, about the old glorious Lilienblum-street and his bohemian Natotschka Bar Restaurant, owned by Nana Schreier, in the Ha’aretz of June 30th, written by Machal Palti. … Read entire article »

Filed under: history, literature, music

Allenby Street, the book

June 13th, 2009 | Comments Off

A must for (Hebrew) readers: Gadi Taub‘s (1965) new novel ‘Allenby‘ (530 pages). Let’s hope there will be an English version soon! … Read entire article »

Filed under: life, literature

“Why the Israel Prize meant less to him than…”

June 6th, 2009 | 1 Comment

A beautiful article I found in Ha’aretz Magazine (June the 5th) by Vered Lee about the Tel Aviv poet : Meir Wieseltier… Death will come And will have your eyes Which from the first moment I drank from without asking … Read entire article »

Filed under: literature

The house where Shaul lived

April 21st, 2009 | Comments Off

On the corner of Ehad-Ha’am 89 and Hahashmonai’im Street,you will find a ‘damaged’ Bauhaus-building, designed in 1933 by Joseph Berlin. On the second floor, the famous poet Shaul Tchernichovsky rented in 1937 a tiny room in the building…the local grocery on the opposite corner of the street ‘grumbled about giving him always credit’. Shaul Tchernichovsky was born on August the 20th, 1875 in Mikhaelovka, a village in the Ukraine. He published his first poems in Odessa in 1890. In 1931, he immigrated to Palestine. Besides being a poet, Tchernichovsky was known as an excellent translator and he served as a doctor at the famous Gymnasium Herzliya. Shaul died on October the 14th, 1943 and was buried alongside his friends at the Trumpeldor cemetery (Trumpeldor Street no.9) The house on Ehad Ha’am needs … Read entire article »

Filed under: architecture, history, literature