Introduction

The introductory chapter outlines the relations between the poet, Uri Zvi Grinberg (UZG), and the pioneer public from the time of his emigration to the Land of Israel in December 1923 and until the end of the 1930s. The story of UZG’s reception by the Labor Movement in the Land of Israel serves as a thrilling and exceptional test case for the study of the reception of other Hebrew poets. Moreover, it seems that no other case was as powerful for testing the affinities and connections between the poet and his actual readership, with such well-identified and well-defined characteristics.

UZG situated his works within the ideological and cultural context of the Labor Movement, transforming the pioneer public into the primary targeted readership for his poetry and essays. The many letters found in his personal archive enabled the reconstruction of the real reading characteristics of his actual readership, attesting to their special attitude towards his poetry and the role it played in their cultural lives. These letters paint a fascinating cultural profile of his young Hebrew readers, most of whom were members in the Jewish “Labor Legion” and the Jewish “Young Guard,” and were rebelling against the traditional Jewish lifestyle of their parents, while their words revealed their deep intellectual and spiritual desires, as represented in UZG’s works.