Bialik, << BYAH lihk, >> Chaim Nachman (1873-1934), is considered the greatest poet in modern Hebrew literature. He was a leader in a Jewish nationalist movement that revived interest in Hebrew language and literature. One of Bialik’s most famous poems is “In the City of Slaughter” (1904). Bialik wrote this and other “poems of wrath” in response to pogroms (massacres) and persecution of Jews in Russia and other eastern European countries. In these poems, Bialik criticized Jewish tolerance of injustice and cried out for resistance. His poems inspired the organization of Jewish self-defense groups. “The Talmud Student” (1894-1895) reflects Bialik’s admiration for Jews who dedicate their lives to the study of holy writings. He believed that such self-sacrifice had enabled Judaism to survive. In The Dead of the Desert (1902), Bialik urged a cultural reawakening of the Jewish people. In these and such poems as “The Pool” (1904), Bialik also stressed the need to return to nature and to personal freedom of expression.
Bialik also wrote short stories and essays. He founded a Hebrew publishing house, translated classics into Hebrew, and edited books of medieval Hebrew poetry.
Bialik was born on Jan. 9, 1873, in Ukraine. His name is also spelled Hayyim Nahman Bialik. He settled in Tel Aviv, Palestine (now Israel), in 1924. Bialik died on July 4, 1934.
