Icarusʹ Monologue
When Shimon Adaf’s first collection of poems was published, it attracted attention. Sensitive readers as well as arbiters of taste in Israel’s literary world immediately recognized his talent and earmarked him as a promising poet with a new poetic message. He was already something of a local cultural figure—his image was that of a refined, multi-disciplinary artist who wrote profound existential verse, but also of someone rooted in popular culture. Adaf’s Sephardic-North African origin and the fact that he came from an outlying town were stressed, but this first collection only partly satisfied those who hoped to find reflections on his background and on the tension between metropolis and outlying immigrant township. Instead, they found a poet saturated in Western culture and the heroes of Greek mythology.
-
“ Adaf flies into Sderot, Adaf flies into Brecht, Adaf flies into Baudelaire. His poetic airport mixes materials, and this is his strength. He tanks up with poetic fuel and rock ‘n’ roll fuel. He is surprising and moving, a poet who leaves a vapor trail so that even after the last line, your eyes are still glued to the sky. ”
-
“ An intriguing, promising poet. ”
-
“ Adaf is a poet of truth. He has his own language, and his own Weltanschauung… He walks a tightrope all the time, and his poetic features have the quality of a vividly colored, throbbing fan. ”