Language and Literature paper by Rosen, Ilana
The Poetry of 1.5 and Second-Generation Israelis of Hungarian Origin
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
In my 2014 presentation at the AHEA annual conference at Gainesville, Florida, I presented an inclusive and generational typology of Israeli writers of Hungarian origin, starting from the early twentieth century up to the present, and then focused on the prose works of a few of the 1.5 and second-generation writers among them. My readings in those works showed that they are governed by recurring concerns, or literary themes, such as: the memory or post-memory of the Holocaust, Hungarian-to-Hebrew language and translations peculiarities, preoccupation with the family's past or remote relatives, journeys back and forth between Israel and Central Europe, letters and other embedded texts, and fascination with home objects, dishes, and recipes representing the family's Hungarian past. In my 2015 presentation, I wish to focus on the works and worlds of 1.5 and second-generation poets and explore, first, the presence of the above listed concerns or themes and then examine issues of identity and of the relationships of these poets -- mostly second-generation women -- and their parents, most often their mothers. Thus I wish to trace these poets' Hungarian-Jewish past, Israeli literary figure, moral legacy, and role of transmitting and explicating their past Hungarian worlds to contemporary Israeli audiences.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Ilana Rosen studies the documentary literature of Jews of Central Europe as well as the multi-ethnic narrative of emigration to and foundation of the south of Israel. Her publications include: Sister in Sorrow: Life Histories of Female Holocaust Survivors from Hungary (Detroit, MI: Wayne State UP, 2008); Soul of Saul: The Life, Narrative, and Proverbs of a Transylvanian-Israeli Grandfather (Burlington, VT: Vermont University, 2011).