Ronny Someck

Ronny Someck was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1951, and arrived in Israel two years later. He studied Hebrew literature and philosophy at Tel Aviv University and drawing at the Avni Academy of Art. He teaches literature, holds writing workshops and also works as a counselor with street gangs.
A leading Israeli poet, Someck`s publications include nine books of poetry and a book for children which he co-authored with his daughter, Shirly. In 1997, he made a CD, Revenge of the Stuttering Child, with musician Elliot Sharp in New York. In 1998, Someck and artist Benny Efrat held a joint exhibition entitled "Nature`s Factory" at the Israel Museum. In 2004, he held two exhibitions - "Comrade Bialik" and "Rabbi Yehuda Halevi - Real Madrid. Someck has received the ACUM Special Jubilee Prize (1987), the Prime Minister`s Prize twice (1989, 2000), the Efrat Prize (1999), the Ahi Prize (1999), the Amichai Prize for Poetry (2005), the "Wine Poetry" Award (Struga, Macedonia, 2005) and the Hans Berghuis Poetry Prize (Holland, 2006). Collections of his poetry have been published abroad in 8 languages; individual poems in 39 languages.

photo © Ronen Lalena

Books Published in Hebrew

Poetry

Exile, Massada, 1976 [Goleh]

Solo, Massada, 1980 [Solo]

Asphalt, Massada, 1984 [Asfalt]

Seven Lines on the Wonder of the Yarkon, Opatowsky/Tel Aviv Foundation [7 Shurot Al Pele Ha-Yarkon]

Panther, Zmora-Bitan, 1989 [Bardales]

Bloody Mary, Zmora-Bitan, 1994 [Bloody Mary]

Rice Paradise, Zmora-Bitan, 1996 [Gan Eden Le-Orez]

The Laughter Button with Shirley Someck, (children), Zmora-Bitan, 1998 [Kaftor Ha-Tzhok]

The Revolution Drummer (poetry), Zmora Bitan, 2001 [Ha-Metofef Shel Ha-Maapecha]

The Milk Underground, Zmora-Bitan, 2005 [Machteret Ha-Chalav]

Algeria, Zmora-Bitan, 2009 [Alge`er]

Books in Translation

The Laughter Button
Albanian: Tirane, Geer, 2006

Selected Poems
Arabic: Jerusalem, Ministry of Science and the Arts, 1995
Paris, Al-Janaby, 1996
Catalan: Barcelona, Proa, 2006
English: Kibbutz Cabri, Cabri-Print Workshop, 1997; Milwaukee, UWM Center for Jewish Studies, 1999
German: Vienna, Judisches Museum Wien, 1997
French: Paris, Stavit, 1998; Luxembourg, Ed. PHI, 2008
Albanian: Tirana, Uk Zenel Bucpapa, 2001
Yiddish/Hebrew: Tel-Aviv, Levick, 2008
Italian: Napoli, Il Laboratorio, 2001; Milano, Il ragazzo innocuo, 2005; Messina, Mesogea, 2008
Croatian: Zagreb, Croatian P.E.N. Centre/Croatian Writers Society
Nepali: Katmandu, White Lotus, 2009

Ronny Someck & Tamir Greenberg: Selected Poems
Catalan: Barcelona, Proa, 2000

The Fire Stays in Red (poetry)
English: Madison, Wisc., Univ. of Wisconsin Press & Dryad Press, 2002

Wheat
English, Macedonian, Hebrew: Skopje, Blesok, 2003

Individual poems have been published in: Albanian, Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

Last updated: 02.07.2008