Goldberg, Lea

(1911–70)

   Israel poet and literary critic. Lea Goldberg was born in Koenigsberg in East Prussia, and educated at the Hebrew high school and the university in Kovno, Lithuania. She continued her studies at Berlin and Bonn universities, received her Ph.D in 1933, the year HITLER came to power, and returned to Lithuania, where she taught history and literature. In 1935 she emigrated to Palestine, and the same year published her first volume of poetry, Smoke Rings. She worked as a literary critic and editor on the Israel papers Davar and Al Hamishmar, was literary adviser to the national theatre, Habimah, and from 1952 taught comparative literature at the Hebrew University.

   Lea Goldberg’s writings include poetry, prose and a play. She translated a number of European classics into Hebrew, and wrote critical works on Russian and Italian literature.