The Ashkenazi Revolution

167“On the Status of Liturature in the Nation” (items from a meeting with acontingent of authors with the head of the government, Levi Eshkol on08/13/63) – under this title, the words of the authors, during the meeting,are cited in “Davar” (08/28/63). This transcript is the only document of itskind. The authors who participated in this meeting (Hazaz, Kariv, Braudesand others) did not say one word on matters of ideas or ideology, which isthe function of literature to express. No. It was not ideas that were spokenof here, but rather control. Hazaz went further than the others and said:And perhaps today there are no authors. But Hebrew Literature exists andthe Hebrew People is required to take this into consideration, that HebrewLiterature exists.And so, there are no Hebrew authors, but there is Hebrew Literature… andwhat does this literature demand? On this, Hazaz says:The situation we find ourselves in is that, in all sorts of conventions andmeetings, everybody is represented, but the Hebrew author, or HebrewLiterature, is not represented.Government representation, that is to say, control - in other words, aportion of the power. Not ideas, God forbid, but the power to rule.Hebrew Literature rules in speech, in schools, in libraries, in the gianteducational budgets, but this is not enough. It wants more power, in theform of representation. Braudes, the secretary of the Council of Authors,spoke similarly:We should make sure that the authors and men of spirit are not missingfrom rallies and events…That is to say, to be in power, to be seated together with rulers andillustrious people. Not to, God forbid, be missing from rallies. But to runfrom one rally to another, as long as they are represented, for they have noideas and their only desire is to rule. For they never had ideas, and their