A spiritual poet who attracted secular readers too, Zelda was born in 1914 in Chernigoff, the Ukraine, and died at the age of 70 in Jerusalem.
Zelda (Shneurson Mishkowsky), who published her books using only her first name, was the daughter of a religious family. Her father was a rabbi and her mother, devoutly Orthodox, was at the same time well-read in modern Hebrew, Russian, and European literature. Zelda’s parents moved to Jerusalem in 1926. She studied at a religious school for girls and then at a teacher’s seminary. Later on she studied art and painting in Tel Aviv, but after moving to Haifa she worked with handicapped children. After her husband’s death she dedicated herself mainly to teaching and writing.
After her work began to appear in 1968, she gained many faithful readers from all sectors of Israeli society. Her poetry, which is highly spiritual, and at the same time very direct, colorful and precise, succeeded in touching the hearts of both religious and secular people, old and young, men and women alike. Zelda published six volumes of poetry altogether and was awarded the prestigious Bialik Prize. A complete collection of her work has been published posthumously.
Poems
With My Grandfather
Light a Candle
The Invisible Carmel
Cast Me Not Away
Each of Us Has a Name
Two Elements
Also on this site
Translation as “the art of intimacy”
Translator Marcia Falk on Zelda the woman and Zelda the poet.
Also the moon can teach Bible
Author Lea Aini on the secular attractions of Zelda’s work.
The flame and the cypress and self-control
PIW editor Rami Saari analyzes Zelda’s ‘Two Elements’.
Bibliography
In Hebrew
Shirey Zelda(Zelda’s Poems). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1985.
She-nivdelu mi-kol merxaq(Beyond All Distance). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1984.
Ha-shoni ha-marhiv(The Magnificent Difference). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1981.
Shirim(Poems). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1979.
Ha-lo har, ha-lo ’esh (Isn’t it a Mountain, Isn’t it a Fire). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1977.
’Al tirxaq (Be Not Far). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1988.
Ha-Karmel ha-’i nir’e (The Invisible Carmel). Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad, 1971.
Pnai(Leisure), Ha-kibbutz Ha-meuchad. 1968.
In English
The Spectacular Difference: Selected Poems. Trans. Marcia Falk. Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College Press, 2004.
Individual poems by Zelda have been published in Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese and Yiddish.
Links
In Catalan
Israel Sheli
Information about the poet in Catalan.
In English
Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature
Search for Zelda’s page in the catalog.
Jewish Heritage Online
Two of Zelda’s poems about trees, accompanied by Marcia Falk’s commentary.
Wayne State University Press
Information concerning Marcia Falk’s book The Spectacular Difference, Selected Poems of Zelda.
In Hebrew
Israeli Ministry of Education
Prof. Hamutal Bar-Yosef on Zelda’s poetry.
Da’at, a site for Jewish studies
A close reading by Avraham Blat of Zelda’s poetry.
Da’at, a site for Jewish studies
Rachel Holander Steingart’s interview with Zelda.
In Portuguese
Adufe.pt
A poem by Zelda and a short biographical note.
In Spanish
Elaleph
Information about the poet in Spanish and one of her poems translated to Spanish.
