Literatureנתן אגמון

Nathan Bistritzky

Nathan Agmon, born Nathan Bistritzky, was an Israeli writer, playwright and translator who made the first complete Hebrew translation of Don Quixote.

1896 to 1980First complete Hebrew Don QuixoteThe novel Days and NightsPlays on messianic themesWork at the Jewish National Fund

Born: 7 August 1896, Zvenyhorodka
Died: 29 February 1980, Tel Aviv
Occupation: translator, writer, playwright, opinion journalist

Nathan Bistritzky was born in 1896 in Zvenyhorodka

Agmon was born on August 7, 1896, in Zvenyhorodka in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire. His father Shmuel was a merchant. He received a traditional education in a cheder and also took an interest in Russian literature.

In 1913 he came to Palestine to study at the Herzliya Gymnasium. After one year he visited his parents in Russia and was caught there by World War I. During the war he lived in Yekaterinoslav and Alexandrovsk, took part in Zionist activity and lectured for Zionist groups.

In 1918 he married Haya Gutman, and they had 2 sons. He returned to Palestine in 1920 and helped edit the 1922 collection Kehiliyatenu. His novel Days and Nights appeared in 1926.

From 1922 to 1952 he headed the youth and propaganda department of the Jewish National Fund. He wrote plays on messianic themes, including works on Shabtai Tzvi and Judas Iscariot. He also translated poems by Pablo Neruda in 1954 and Don Quixote in 1958.

After retiring he devoted himself to writing. He died on February 29, 1980, and was buried at Har HaMenuchot.