Yoav J. Tenembaum

                                                               

Magna on Magna Feature Interview with Yoav J. Tenembaum, who born in Argentina.  He has lived in Argentina, Israel, the United States, and Britain.  Tenembaum has pursued his academic studies at Tel Aviv University (BA in History), Cambridge University (Masters in International Relations) and Oxford University( Doctorate in Modern History).  He served in the past as director of a historical exhibition on Columbus and the Jewish contribution to the voyages of discovery (Spain and Israel).  He's the author of The Planet of Mendaoor, a book for children, published by Minerva Press, London.  He is also a journalist and political analyst.

Magnapoets: Yoav, you are a journalist, political analyst, among many other things. Please tell us about yourself.  And please tell us how you reconcile all the different roles you hold, including that of poet.

Yoav:  I am an Argentinian Jew. I have lived in various countries, including Argentina, Israel, the United States and Britain, where I pursued most of my academic studies. Having completed a doctorate in History, I decided nevertheless to work in a family-related investment business , something I have enjoyed very much doing.   On a voluntary basis, I serve as the vice president of an international Non Governmental Organization called the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation(IRWF). I also  lecture and write on political and historical topics .

 

Being a poet is not something I have chosen to be. I write poems out of an emotional desire to convey my innermost feelings and thoughts . Indeed, the process of writing a poem is for me part and parcel of the emotional and intellectual experience, which prompts me in the first place to write it. Of course, I wish others to read my poems. I am glad when my poems are published. Thus, although my other activities may, from time to time, render it more difficult for me to devote more time to endeavour to publish my poems, these activities  do not prevent me from writing my poems, to begin with . 

Magnapoets: You are a recent Basho Haiku Festival winner. You also write free verse. Do you prefer one form over the other, and are you going to delve into haiku more in the future?

Yoav:  That's a very good question. In a sense, these two forms of poetry answer two distinct emotional needs within me.  Writing, reading haiku constitutes an experience quite different from writing free verse.  In haiku  I  find a combination between the aesthetic and the emotional, which I can't in free verse quite in the same manner . Free verse is for me an intellectual and emotional flow of words which I try to confine to within narrow limits, shaped by as clear and concise a language as possible. Haiku, on the other hand, is like a few drops of water that I attempt to put in their appropriate place. I would like very much to continue writing haiku. I assume I will write both forms of poetry, if at all possible.   

Magnapoets: You speak three languages: Spanish, Hebrew, and of course, English. Do you find that being multi-lingual influences your poetry at all? You also travel extensively, often to exotic locales. Does such travel enhance or hinder your poetry?

Yoav:  I don't think that the languages I know wield any direct influence on my writing. I am fortunate enough to be able to speak and write English, Spanish and Hebrew. However, I can't say that my poetry has been influenced by my being well-versed in these three languages. What is true , no doubt, is that, knowing these languages, has allowed me to read poems in three different languages, which is in itself a creative intellectual experience. Indeed, I would venture to say that Spanish is the most musical of the three languages and thus poetically very appealing. Emotions are heard in Spanish, even if conveyed in writing. English has a linguistic richness and an intellectual appeal, which I find almost singular. Also, I find that emotions can be expressed in English in a few words, more briefly than in Spanish or Hebrew. Hebrew has a mathematical logic to it, which, combined with the emotions entailed in a poem, makes for a unique blend.   

Magnapoets: Your poetic style has been described as intellectual, thought-provoking, and somewhat scholarly. Is this description accurate, do you think? 

Yoav:  Oh...I wouldn't know. You raise a challenging question. I assume this is something for each reader to decide for himself or herself. I would be reluctant to define my poetry.  Nevertheless, I could certainly say that I have heard readers and editors describe my poems in the same terms you have in your question.   

Magnapoets: You have a children’s book, The Planet of Mendaoor, published in England by Minerva Press. Any future plans for other books, including one of verse?

Yoav:  I have no concrete plans at the moment, beyond trying to edit a manuscript of my poems to attempt and publish it in book form. I have some plans as regards the book you have mentioned, The Planet of Mendaoor, but these are rather vague at the moment. I have a manuscript of another children's book I wrote a few years ago. I am not sure I want it to be published as it is now.  What I am almost sure is that, no matter how successful I will be in having my poems published, so long I will feel the need to convey in poetry form an emotion, an idea, a mere thought, I will do so. Shaping an emotion into a poem is an emotional experience equal to none. Articulating it as a coherent literary expression is an intellectual experience equal to none.

Interview conducted by Aurora Antonovic 

Comments

[Robert]

Well balanced interview. I especially appreciated the exchange in the second question/answer.

[Janet]

Good reading here, e.g., "Haiku, on the other hand, is like a few drops of water that I attempt to put in their appropriate place." And I like how you talk about the emotional and intellectual experiences involved in writing poetry, also the poetic differences btw various languages.

[David Herrle]

Excellent repertoire and spiel!

[Joseph Armstead]

Well thought-out interview with unusual questions bringing forth some interesting answers! A nice casual exchange between interviewer and interviewee. Glad I read this: I will now read Yoav's work with an added dimension of understanding!

[Bryan]

Everyone here is so accomplished. This is great, Yoav. I enjoyed this alot.

[Aurora]

Yoav, I don't know why I hadn't commented on this feature prior to today, but just wanted to thank you for agreeing to this interview. I appreciate your generosity with your time and thoughts.