Ayin Hillel was the pen name of Hillel Omer (4 August 1926 - 39 June 1990), an Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and children's author.

Biography

Hillel Omer was born in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek

Mishmar HaEmek

Mishmar HaEmek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 964....

 in the Jezreel Valley

Jezreel Valley

-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...

. His father changed his surname, Kotovitz, to Ogni (עוגני). He fought in the Palmach

Palmach

The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...

 during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

1948 Arab-Israeli War

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...

. From 1954 to 1969 he was a chief landscape designer of Jerusalem.

His poem, Hanesher (The Eagle), is written in Biblical Hebrew, but expresses the doubts and disillusions of the twentieth century.

Published works

Omer's work has been translated into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

, Hungarian

Hungarian language

Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....

, Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, and Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

. Among his most famous compositions are "Why Does the Zebra Wear Pajamas" (1959) and "Uncle Simcha" (1964).

Poetry

• The Noon Country, Sifriat Poalim, 1950 [Eretz Ha-Tzohorayim]
• Nisra, The Author, 1962 [Nisra]
• Hunting Madness, Am Oved, 1964 [Teruf Toref]
• Eulogy, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1973 [Hodayah]
• Speak, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1980 [Dabri]
• Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1982 [Yossef Ve-Eshet Potifar]
• Until Now, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1983 [Ad Co]
• Blue and Thorns, Sifriat Poalim, 1987 [Tchelet Ve-Kotzim]
• Holon's Fables, Sifriat Poalim, 1991 [Mishlei Holon]

Children's books

• Why Does the Zebra Wear Pijama?, Sifriat Poalim, 1959 [Lama Loveshet Ha-Zebra Pijama]
• Abroad, Abroad!, Sifriat Poalim, 1960 [Hutz La-Aretz, Hutz La-Aretz]
• Nobody Can See Me, Massada, 1967 [Oti Lir'ot Af Ehad Lo Iachol]
• Uncle Simcha, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1969/99 [Dodi Simha]
• I'm a Warbler, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1970 [Ani Pashosh]
• Good Morning, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1971 [Boker Tov]
• Bulbul, Why?, Massada, 1972 [Bulbul, Lama Kacha?]
• Birdie, Birdie, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1973 [Rom Tziporim Tziporim Tzip]
• Giraffe in Blue Jeans, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1976 [Giraf Be-Jeans Kahol]
• Uncle Simcha's Voice, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1976 [Kol Dodi Simha]
• How Are You Mrs. Ladybird, Am Oved, 1977 [Shalom Lach Para Moshe Rabenu]
• From Fly To Elephant, Keter, 1977 [Mi-Zvuv Ve-Ad Pil]
• A Story About Cats, Keter, 1977 [Ma'ase Be-Hatulim]
• Yossi, Smart Child of Mine, Massada, 1978 [Yossi Yeled Sheli Mutzlah]
• Unbelievable, Ministry of Education, 1978 [Lo Yeuman]
• When Uncle Simcha Sings, Zionist Confederation, 1984 [Ke-She Dod Simha Shar]
• I'm a Warbler, Certainly and Maybe, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 1987 [Ani Pashosh Betah Ve-Ulai]
• The Book of Scribble-songs, R. Sirkis, 1988 [Sefer Ha-Kishkushirim]
• A Cloud in My Hand, Sifriat Poalim, 1989 [Anan Ba-Yad]
• It Happened to a Fawn, Kinneret, 1989 [Ma'ase Be-Ofer Ayalim]
• Ayin Hillel's Big Book, Am Oved, 1992 [Ha-Sefer Ha-Gadol Shel Ayin Hillel]

• A Kibbutz Adventure, London, F. Warne, 1963