Called "perhaps our greatest living poet" by
The New York Times, Amichai was born in
Germany in
1924 and he and his family moved to
Palestine in
1936. Amichai's entire life is intertwined with the history of
Israel. He is so beloved in that nation that soldiers carried books of his poetry into battle during the
Yom Kippur War. His poetry, written in
Hebrew, emphasizes
Jewish and Israeli themes, but my favorite poems of his deal with universal theme of
love.
A Dog After Love
A Pity. We Were Such a Good Invention