Yona Wallach

A lifelong rebel, the Israeli poet Yona Wallach turned an unlucky background into a remarkable career in Israeli letters. Wallach was born in Palestine and grew up fatherless. After being expelled from high school, she found a home among Tel Aviv’s young poets, where her immense talent and ferocious will served her well. Wallach published widely; her early poems were raw, close to experience, and depicted maverick women in emotional distress. After her rapid rise, she published infrequently, her production halted by mental illness and personal setbacks. Yet to many Israelis she remains a symbol of artistic and feminist defiance, bold and unapologetic.