Avigdor Hameiri
A Hungarian poet and novelist who channeled the trauma of World War I captivity into searing, pioneering Hebrew literature.
1890–1970 (age 80)·Hungarian-Israeli author·Birthday: September 16·The Lost Generation
Biography
Born in a small Carpathian village, Avigdor Hameiri's life was fractured by the Great War. Drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army, he was captured on the Eastern Front and spent years in Siberian prisoner-of-war camps, an experience that would scorch his writing. After the war, he shed his European name and embraced Zionism, immigrating to Mandatory Palestine in 1921. There, he became a volcanic literary force, writing some of the first Hebrew works to grapple directly with the modern, industrialized horror of war. His novel 'The Great Madness' is a raw, autobiographical account of the conflict's absurdity and brutality. Hameiri's voice was sardonic, disillusioned, and deeply human, establishing a template for Hebrew war literature that moved beyond biblical heroism to confront contemporary existential dread.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Avigdor was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Avigdor Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Avigdor's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 60
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 70
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 80
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
Key Achievements
- Authored 'The Great Madness' (1929), considered the first Hebrew anti-war novel.
- Founded and edited the influential Hebrew literary journal 'Ketuvim'.
- Was among the first major Hebrew writers to draw directly from the experience of World War I.
Did You Know?
His original name was Avigdor Feuerstein; he Hebraized it to Hameiri upon moving to Palestine.
He was the first poet to be named Israel's Poet Laureate in 1968.
He wrote the lyrics for several popular Israeli songs, including 'Hayu Zemanim'.
During his Siberian captivity, he organized a Jewish theater group for fellow prisoners.
“I saw the war, and it was a slaughterhouse of souls.”
