Amir Or

Amir Or was born in 1956 in Tel Aviv

Amir Or was born in Tel Aviv on July 1, 1956, under the name Amir Aviel. After finishing high school at the Herzliya Gymnasium, he lived in India, Greece and the Netherlands. He worked as a shepherd, a builder and a restaurateur.

In Jerusalem he set up a center for meditation and therapy and a restaurant. He studied philosophy and comparative religion at the Hebrew University, earning a BA in 1988 and an MA in 1989. He later lectured there on Ancient Greek religion.

His first book of poems appeared in 1987. He has published 15 poetry books and 2 novels in Hebrew, including The Song of Tahira, an epic in metered prose, and The Kingdom, about the life of King David. His work has been translated into more than 50 languages.

In 1990 he founded the Helicon Poetry Society and edits its journal and book series. In 1993 he set up an Arabic-Hebrew poetry school, and he founded the Sha'ar International Poetry Festival. He has taught creative writing in Israel, Europe, the USA and Japan.