SOURCE: "An Analysis of Yehuda Amichai," in Judaism, Vol. 41, No. 1, Winter 1992, pp. 97-104.

In the following review, Spicehandler finds Glenda Abramson's The Writings of Yehuda Amichai: A Thematic Approach to be a valuable contribution to Amichai criticism.

Yehuda Amichai has enjoyed international acclaim beyond any of Israel's poets. His works have been translated into many languages, particularly into English. He has taught as a poet-in-residence or lecturer at numerous universities. Although at least a hundred articles dealing with his poetry and prose (including fifteen in English alone) have been published, until recently, only one Hebrew book has appeared which treats Amichai comprehensively, Haprahim Vehaargtal by Boaz Arpaly (Tel Aviv, 1986). Glenda Abramson's new study in English, The Writings of Yehuda Amichai, is an important, first-rate, scholarly exploration of Amichai's literary achievement. It differs from Arpaly's work in several ways. Arpaly confines himself to Amichai's poetry, while Dr. Abramson covers...