Ronny Someck

Someck, 2007

Ronny Someck (Hebrew: רוני סומק‎; born 1951) is an Israeli poet and author, whose works have been translated into many languages.

Biography

Someck was born in Baghdad and came to Israel as a young child. He studied Hebrew literature and philosophy at Tel Aviv University and drawing at the Avni Academy of Art. He has worked with street gangs, and currently teaches literature and leads creative writing workshops.^[1]

Literary career

Someck has published 11 volumes of poetry (The last called Horse Power). He authored 2 children's book together with his daughter Shirly ( The Laughter Button and " Monkey Tough, Monkey Bluff"), that has been translated into 41 languages. Selections of his poems have appeared in Arabic translation, French (with the exile Iraqi poet- A.K. El-Janabi), Catalan, Albanian, Italian, Macedonian, Croatian, Yiddish, Nepali, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

He is the recipient of the Prime Minister's Award, Yehuda Amichai Award for Hebrew poetry, The "Wine poem award" in Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia, 2005 and Hans Berghhuis prize for poetry 2006 at the Maastricht International Poetry Nights, the Netherlands.^[2]

He has recorded three discs with the musician Elliott Sharp: Revenge of the Stuttering Child, Poverty Line, and A Short History of Vodka.

In 1998 he mounted an exhibition “Nature’s Factory, winter 2046” with Beny Efrat at the Israel Museum.

He is a member of the Public Council of the Batsheva Dance Company and the Hebrew-Arabic Theatre.

In 2012, he has been awarded the Cross of The Order of The Knights for a Distinguished Service of Poland.

In 2013, he has been awarded the knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France.

Published works

• Horse power (2013)
• Algeria (2009)
• The Milk Underground (2005)
• The Revolution Drummer (2001)
• Rice Paradise (1996)
• Bloody Mary (1994)
• Panther (1989)
• Seven Lines on the Wonder of the Yarkon (1987)
• Asphalt (1984)
• Solo (1980)
• Exile (1976)

For children:

• The Laughter Button with Shirly Someck (1998)
• Monkey Tough, Monkey Bluff with Shirly Someck (2012)

In Albanian

• The Sign of the Bite (2001, Tirane)
• Prekla e te Qeshurit (2006, Tirane)

In Arabic:

• Jasmine (1994, Israel)
• And the poem is a gangster’s girl (1996, Paris)
• "Lion's Milk" (2010 Cairo)

In Catalan:

• En paper de vidre (2000, Barcelona)
• Amor Pirata (2006, Barcelona)

In Croatian

• Poems (Special edition on the occasion of Literature Live Festival. 2008, Zagreb)

In English:

• The Fire Stays in Red (2002, USA)

• "The milk underground" (White Pine Press - Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation 2015 USA)

In French:

• Nes a Bagdad with A.K. El Janabi (1998, Paris)
• Constat de Beaute (Edition PHI, 2008, Luxembourg)
• Bagdad Jerusalem with Salach Al Hamdani(Edition s Bruno Doucey,Paris 2012)

In Italian

• Il Rosso Catalogo della Parola Tramonto with Fausta Squatriti (NOLA)
• Il Bambino Balbuziente (Mesogea, Sicily 2008) 2002)

In Macedonian

• weat (2005, Skopje)
• Asphalt Dragons (2011,Skopje)

In Nepali

• Baghdad, February 1991 Translated into Nepali by Yuyutsu RD Sharma, (Nirala Publications, 2010, New Delhi in collaboration with White Lotus Book Shop, Kathmandu)

In Yiddish

• I am a pajama Iraqi (H.Levick Publishing House, Tel Aviv)

In Dutch

• "Blues van de derde zoen"(Azul Press.Maasticht 2010)
• " Mug Shot "(with Hans van de Waarsenburg) Azul Press.Maasticht 2012)

in Danish

• " Solens fine pensel" (Forlagrt Goldberg & Mor. Copenhagen 2010)

In Portuguese

• "Left foot goal"(annablume.brazil 2012)

In German

• "Nagel" (Azul Press 2012)

In Spanish

• "El Paraiso del Arroz" (Leviatan 2013)

In Russian

• "The Leopard and the Glass Slipper".tr:Lena (Elena) Baibikov. Knizhnoe obozrenie (ARGO-RISK): Moscow, 2014

In Turkish

• "The Ballad of Alcohol valley". Tr: Muesse Yeniay. (Siiri). Turkey 2014

Translations of his poems have appeared in anthologies and poetry journals in 41 languages.

Books about Ronny Someck

• Yair Mazor :"Poetic acrobat", Goblon Fern Press, USA 2008.
• Gilles Rozier: "Deux Enfants De Bagdad (Salah Al Jamdani & Ronny Someck) ,Les arenes, France 2015.

Prizes

• ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel) special Jubilee Prize for a special achievement, 1987.
• Prime Minister’s Prize, 1989,2000.
• Afrat Prize,1999.
• Ahi Prize (The Association for the Promotion of Research, Literature and Art, founded in Israel by Jews from Iraq), 1999
• Yehuda Amichai prize for Hebrew poetry (2005)
• "wine poem award" Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia, 2005
• Hans Berghhuis prize for poetry 2006.the Maastricht International Poetry Nights.Holand
• Ramat-Gan prize for poetry 2010
• He was been awarded the exemplary man of the "Lions International" 2016

Art

Artworks by Ronny Someck or based on his work:

• “The wall of bliss”, The Artist Museum, Lodz, 1933.
• “Jasmine”. Um-El-Fahem Gallery, 1996.
• “A poem of bliss”, Artists-Messengers of peace, Eretz-Israel Museum, 1996.
• “Rosalia”- “Mini-Arutr”, Gubbio, Italy, 1997.
• “The Razor that cut the Metaphoric Face of Poetry”- Five etchings by Yigal Ozeri ensuing five poems by Ronny Someck, Tel-Aviv Museum, Binet Gallery, Israel, Z Gallery New York, 1997.
• Nature's Factory, with Benni Efrat, THE ISRAEL MUSEUM, 1998.
• " “The Ballad OF alcohol Valley”.Haifa International Installation Triennale. HAIFA MUSEUM OF ART.1999.
• Markers – On Outdoor Banner Event of Artists an Poets for Venice Biennale. 2001, 2003,2005,2007.
• “Il Rosso Catalogo della Parola Tramonto”-Five etchings by Fausta Squatriti ensuing poems by Ronny Someck. Fallani Best Gallery.Firenze. 2002.
• "Hawadja Bialik"-The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan.2004.
• "Impermanenza".Centro Studi Maitreya-Venezia.2004
• "And Next to it ,in a Similar Frame"-15 photographers relating to the poems of Ronny Someck.College of Design –Haifa- Canadian Hadassah Wizo.2005
• "Rehal Madrid"- The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan.2007/
• "Wandering Library 2". Galerie Cargo 21". Paris.2008
• "mono".barbur Gallery.2009
• "Acqua" Artist Book- Markers 7, Scala Mata Gallery, the 53 Venice biennale, 2009
• "napkin"- The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan.2010
• "Pointe Shoes". Artist Book. Even Hoshen.2010
• "piyyt, emotion,and thought. Beit avi chai gallery.2012
• "swan Lake"- The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan.2012
• "Al-Mutanabbi Street start here", Art book in the Center of Book Arts, New York, 2013
• "FEATHER AND LEAD",Photographic correspondence with the poems of Ronny Someck, A project of the Department of Photography & Media, The NB Haifa School of Design, 2013
• " Hall of Fame" - The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan.2014

Music

• “Revenge of the Stuttering child” CD With Elliott Sharp, Tzadik Records, New York, 1997
• “Poverty line”, CD with Elliott Sharp. ZuTa Music. Tel-Aviv, 1999
• “A Short History of Vodka”. ZuTa Music-NMC.Tel-Aviv, 2001
• " Drum's Solo". P'gooay Mo'ach feat with Ronny Someck, Zimmer Music, Tel Aviv 2012

References

1. "Ronny Someck". The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
2. Lexicon of Modern Hebrew Literature. "Ronny someck". Ohio State University.

External links

• Stanley Burnshaw (2003). The Modern Hebrew poem itself. Wayne State University Press. pp. 290–292. ISBN 978-0-8143-2485-1. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
• The Emperor of Emotions, by Yuyutsu RD Sharma, Himalayan Times, 2004-08-05, Kathmandu
• http://israel.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=6347