Halah author: Hadassa Tal

Hadassa Tal is an Israeli poet who works with the sacred aspects of the Hebrew language. Winner of the coveted Leah Goldberg Poetry Award, she is the author of six poetry collections with Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, including the recently translated but first I call your name. Her work has been translated into several languages. Tal’s poems are informed by her studies of ancient yogic meditation and of the earliest Jewish mystical texts. Bruno Doucey, her publisher in France, where her poetry was recently declared part of the Ministry of Education’s Syllabus, has praised Tal’s work, calling it “poetry refined as crystal.” Her poems have inspired leading artists in various fields worldwide, and have been set to music and dance. She is also the subject of a documentary produced by Truestories. She is a frequent lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, discussing universal issues such as grief and healing. She holds a PHD in comparative literature. She lives in Tel Aviv.