"Though the title of this bilingual selection recalls two recent works by Amichai, it is actually drawn from eight previous works and boasts an even larger array of translators. The thematic arrangement deftly emphasizes the Israeli poet's constant preoccupation with both Jerusalem and love. 'I remember that the city was divided/ Not only between me and you,/ When we lived there together,' Amichai says, entwining the two in 'I Don't Know If History Repeats Itself.' That these poems are presented with no translator's introduction shows how familiar Amichai's voice has become to English readers. Despite the absence of a few personal favorites from earlier collections, having the full range of Amichai's work back in print is a delight."—Library Journal
About the Author
Yehuda Amichai was born in Wurzburg, Germany, in 1924 and emigrated with his family to Palestine in 1936. Amichai published eleven volumes of poetry in Hebrew, two novels, and a book of short stories. His work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. In 1982, Amichai received the Israel Prize for Poetry, and he became a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1986. He lived in Jerusalem until his death on September 25, 2000.
December 1992