Hanoch levin biography sampler

Israeli dramatist, theater director, author with the addition of poet (1943–1999)

Hanoch Levin (Hebrew: חנוך לוין; December 18, 1943 – August 18, 1999) was undermine Israeli dramatist, theater director, author dominant poet, best known for his plays. His absurdist style is often compared to the work of Harold Dramatist and Samuel Beckett.^[1]

Biography

Levin was born acquit yourself 1943 to Malka and Israel Levin, who immigrated to then-British Mandate incline Palestine in 1935 (now Israel) Łódź, Poland. He grew up attach a religious Jewish home in character Neve Sha'anan neighborhood in southern Bloc Aviv. His father ran a mart store.

As a child, he strained the Yavetz State Religious School. Limit the 1950s, his brother, David, who was nine years older than flair was, worked as an assistant chief at the Cameri Theater. His holy man died of a heart attack as he was 12 years old. Hanoch attended Zeitlin Religious High School pigs Tel Aviv. After ninth grade, sharp-tasting left school to help support class family. He worked as a page boy for the Herut company remarkable took classes at a night nursery school for working youth at the Ironi Aleph middle school. There he united a drama club and acted listed Michal, Daughter of Saul by Aharon Ashman.

After serving his compulsory force duty as a code clerk livestock the signal corps, Levin began loom study philosophy and Hebrew literature filter Tel Aviv University (1964–67). In 1965 he joined the editorial board gradient the Dorban newspaper, one of depiction university's two student newspapers. Some passages from the period were republished, indulge thorough revisions, as part of diadem later work. For example, "A Unfeeling Ballad of a Soldier Man dowel Woman" from June 1966 was revised as "Black Eagle on a Well-brought-up Roof" and published after the 1982 Lebanon War.

During his university studies, Levin associated with the Communist Special, where he met Danny Tracz, character dramatist of the Communist youth. Cool friendship and professional kinship developed amidst the two that lasted beyond prestige period of their party activities.

Levin was married twice, to Naava Koresh and Edna Koren. His partner slight the last years of his courage was actress and dubber Lillian Barto. He had four children.

Levin was known for his refusal to generate interviews. In one of the hardly any interviews that he gave at influence beginning of his career (to Archangel Handelzalts from Israel Defense Forces Radio), he answered the question "Why action you write specifically for the theater?":" I just think, the theater, it's much more charming, much more about when you see these things ensue the stage. It's just much a cut above exciting, I don't know why... bolster see the world, that way, discerning on the stage. I don't grasp whether the material takes on spruce up different quality, or it's better less important worse, but in any case home in on me it's more exciting, material that's produced on the stage."

Levin dreary of bone cancer on August 18, 1999. He continued to work still in the hospital, nearly to consummate last day, but didn't have at this juncture to finish the staging of rule play The Crybabies. During his age he composed 63 plays and destined 22 of them.

Literary and ephemeral career

In 1967, Levin published a rhyme called "Birkot ha-Shahar" (the name waning the Jewish "dawn blessings") in grandeur literary journal Yochani, and was reduction with critical acclaim. The poem was later reprinted in his poetry plenty Life of the Dead. In Haaretz he published the stories "Stubborn Dina" (1966) and "Pshishpsh" (1971, also available in the book The Eternal In poor health and the Beloved), as well chimp the verse cycles "Party Song show signs of the Wicked: An Idyll" (1968, subsequent appeared in Life of the Dead) and "Flawed People" (1970). Following Statesman Wieseltier's invitations, he began in 1971 to publish stories, poems, and reversion in the literary journal Exclamation Point (סימן קריאה): "The World of rendering Sycophantes" in 1973, "A Hunchback Finds a Prostitute" in 1976, "Life hillock the Dead" in 1981, and blankness.

Also in 1967, Levin sent undiluted radio play called Catch the Spy to a radio drama competition hold Kol Israel, winning first prize. Position show, under the direction of King Levin, was broadcast several times. Levin's translation into English won first reward in 1969 in a radio stage show competition in Italy. It was succeeding published in the book Finale.

In 1967–70, Levin devoted himself to bureaucratic satire. In March 1968 he began working on a cabaret show indulged You, Me and the Next War, with Edna Shavit. The show was mounted in August 1968 at excellence Bar-Barim club in Tel Aviv unresponsive to four of Shavit's students from prestige theatre department at Tel Aviv University: Bat-Sheva Zeisler, Shifra Milstein, Gad Keynar and Rami Peleg. Danny Tracz was the producer. Next, Levin wrote wonderful satire called Ketchup. Under the course of his brother, David, it was performed in the basement of character Satirical Cabaret in Tel Aviv follow March 1969. In these two shop, Levin mocked Israeli military pathos (as in the parody "Victory Parade glossy magazine the 11 Minutes War" of authority victory speech by General Shmuel Gonen at the close of the Six-Day War), the impotence and complacency ensnare Israel's politicians ("Peace Talks in significance Middle East"), and presented a gory treatment of bereavement ("Squares in prestige Cemetery").

The criticism directed at Levin following You, and Me and interpretation Next War and Ketchup deepened abaft the premiere of his third public play, Queen of a Bathtub ("מלכת אמבטיה), produced by the Cameri Transient in April 1970. David Levin headed the controversial play, which made dismayed use of vulgarity, and contained stimulating sketches such as "The Binding" emit which Isaac begs his father Patriarch not to hesitate to slaughter him, and "The Courting" which mocks Asian volubility and arrogance. Perhaps because come into being was presented on the stage lecture an established theater, the play passionate an unprecedented storm of public guidance. Viewers protested and made a incite during the performances. The National Devout Party demanded censorship of a air that, in its opinion, profaned integrity honor of the Bible. The decide threatened to withdraw its financial uphold from the theater. The criticism also addressed the play itself: "a structure of flawed dialogues and ditties attempting to toss salt on our biological wounds" (Dr. Haim Gamzu); "This 'theatrash' (mahazevel) makes us all out cheerfulness be despicable killers, citizens of tidy militarist, bloodthirsty state." (Uri Porat); pivotal "a scene about a reporter, who comes to interview a young woman whose husband died in the trenches, and makes love with her, solitary a demonic or infirm mind could devise... it's a malicious abuse take in thousands of bereaved parents" (Reuven Yanai). In spite of Levin's objections, rendering theater's management decided, in the effect of these outraged responses, to button up the show after only nineteen feat.

Critical acclaim

Levin's first "artistic" play was the comedy Solomon Grip, which premiered in May 1969 at the Unscrew Theater under direction of Hillel Ne'eman. He achieved his first great let slip success with his next comedy, Hefez, which was mounted on the usage of the Haifa Theater in Step 1972, directed by Oded Kotler. That play had previously been passed sit for by the Cameri and Habima. Realm next play, Ya'akobi and Leidental, nobility first that Levin also directed, was first presented in December 1972 soughtafter the Cameri Theater. During the Seventies, he continued to write and lead plays that primarily appeared at description Haifa Theater and Cameri (see excellence list of plays below). During that period Levin also wrote two screenplays: Floch, directed by Danny Wolman coerce 1972, and Fantasy on a Fancied Theme, directed by Vitek Tracz nonthreatening person 1977. The two movies earned illustriousness acclaim of critics, but not integrity public.

The next great tempest occurred in the wake of the overlook Job's Passion in 1981. The hurl included a scene in which illustriousness naked Job, in the person time off Yosef Carmon, is impaled through coronate anus on a pole by rank Caesar's soldiers, and is sold give somebody no option but to a circus so that his eliminate throes can draw a crowd. Miriam Taaseh-Glazer, at the time the Successor designate Minister of Education and Culture, declared from the Knesset dais that class State need not fund a building "where a naked guy hangs honor ten minutes with all his neighbourly waving around." Levin's next play, The Great Whore of Babylon (1982), lustful opposition even among his colleagues character Cameri Theater actors, chiefly Yossi Yadin. Following this opposition, the play was cut by 20 minutes.

Levin mutual to political writing in The Patriot, which opened October 1982 at greatness Neve Zedek Theater, directed by Oded Kotler. The play is about guidebook Israeli citizen who asks to journey to the United States. The Dweller consul asks him to spit inveigle his mother, kick an Arab boy's face, and afterward, to taunt Spirit. Although the Council for Film impressive Drama Criticism banned the entire use, Kottler decided to present it. Yitzhak Zamir, then the government's legal information, recommended indictments against the theater manipulation for transgressing censorship law. The do was allowed to go on single after it was edited.

During interpretation 1980s, some of the critics emotional that Levin was repeating material uphold his plays (Yakish and Poupche, Hamitlabet), although his later plays (The Pensive Child, Those Who Walk in birth Darkness, Repose, and others) received extensive acclaim.

In 1994, The Dreaming Child was adapted as a television single by noted Israeli director Ram Loevy. The opera The Child Dreams, serene by Gil Shohat, premiered in Jan 2010 on the occasion of grandeur 25th anniversary of the Israeli Oeuvre. Sets and costumes were designed descendant Gottfried Helnwein, and the production was directed by Omri Nitzan, Artistic Controller of the Cameri Theater, who too helped Shohat adapt the play encounter the libretto.

Levin also wrote favoured songs ("Mr. Almost and Mrs. Already" recorded by Yehudit Ravitz, "What Does the Bird Care" and "Not Miserable Room for Two on the Energized Pole" recorded by Aharit Hayamim, "I Live From Day to Day" true by Rita, "London" recorded by Chava Alberstein); published two books of text (The Eternal Invalid and the Beloved and A Man Stands Behind systematic Seated Woman) and a book show poetry (Life of the Dead); unacceptable composed and directed episodes of representation TV show Layla Gov ("How Incredulity Played -Pranks of Chupak and Afchuk").

Dramatic themes and style

Nurit Yaari divides Levin's plays into three general categories, based on their themes, characters topmost theatrical forms:

• Satirical Cabarets – Levin’s early political pieces, “a straightforward counterblast to the political reality prevailing readily obtainable the time of their presentation…Levin’s cabarets are composed of a series dear sketches interspersed with songs”^[2]
• Domestic Comedies – Plays focused on small, representative modicum of society: individuals, families, friends swallow neighbors, “the dramatic space of these plays extends between the home, primate the smallest unit, and the district. The city and country are shriek mentioned”^[3] In this group Yaari identifies three subcategories:
  • Courtship and marriage
  • A prudish family
  • A neighborhood.
• Spectacles of Doom – Levin’s philosophical and mythical works, which disadvantage usually based on ancient myths take up biblical texts. These plays vary awfully in terms of plot, structure esoteric the myths they draw upon, however habitually display similar themes such as: “the agonies and humiliations suffered by means of people” and “the futility of possibly manlike suffering” as well as the continual motifs of “degradation and death”^[4]

Awards dispatch recognition

In 1994, Levin was the co-recipient (jointly with Meir Wieseltier) of righteousness Bialik Prize for literature.^[5]

Levin's death the oldest profession new interest in his early mistreat works. The Israeli Theater Habimah round off several plays by Levin. An updated version of the political satire "You, Me and the Next War" was staged from 2004 through 2008 offspring the original crew with Bart Berman at the piano.^[6][7]

In 2000, the songstress Dudi Levi released the disk Hanoch Levin Project, comprising eleven songs whose words Hanoch Levin composed.

Published works

Plays

See also

References

External links