Mute Child in the House of the Spirit: The Relationship Between Creative Expression and Community

Abstract

The house of the spirit in the title refers to the creative mind of the writer—incorporating the roots that have fed that mind. The mute child is the writer-self that has reverted to the status of a patronized, inarticulate child in the course of the material and psychological struggle for creative survival in circumstances where the language of the writer differs from the language of the community. This article refers to some
aspects of the above circumstances, which include: limited audiences in the country of domicile; the viability of translation, and last, but not least, the practical problems arising from disconnection from the writer's linguistic centre. The article also outlines some of the practical ways in which these problems are addressed in the multi-lingual, multi-ethnic
society of contemporary Israel.

Journal for the Study of Religion Vol. 19 (2) 2006: pp. 53-62