I wrote the White Book soon after immigrating to Israel. A bit before that, I had gone through an intense period, due probably to the fact that I wanted to leave Europe, but couldn’t act on it as yet. During this rough patch, I had fiercely written 250 pages, which were raw, harsh and made me rather uncomfortable. After months of wondering whether to send the manuscript to publishing houses, I left for Israel instead… only to find myself writing fiercely again!
My first year in Tel Aviv was quite hectic too: I moved flats a lot, going from one sub-rental to another. It was then hard to settle and start an artistic practice, knowing that I may need to pack and move again. Writing therefore presented the best advantages: easily movable and didn’t take much room.
The experience with the first manuscript had left a feeling of non-achievement, so I naturally thought of re-telling the same story, but in another form and from a different angle. I started collecting ideas, bribes and quotes of texts (of mine and others) music and film references, images; all gradually covering the walls of my bedroom. I had a script in mind, like in cinema, and somehow, all these elements found their place in the book.
My goal was to find ways of suggesting emotions not only through text, but through forms, maybe like a painter… By the end, the White Book, with its use of typographical effects, could be defined as concrete poetry, even though I was unaware of that genre at the time of writing it.
Mil liM (être) the White Book 2012, 180 pages, (11x18cm)
++ the White Book is available to read online here, the physical book is at the Tel Aviv Museum’s library
++ read my post on this topic here
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