| He has written novels and plays and has taught from time to time in American Universities. He is known for his deeply spiritual and philosophical writings and his ironic reflections on man's destiny in a world of divisions and hierarchies. To talk about the poem, the poem "All the Generations Before me" is a remarkably personal reflection of a man and artist in a specific space and time.
In the poem "All the generations Before me", the following personal reflections are noted.
- A man and artist in a specific period of time.
- Jerusalem and the 20th Century
- The poem speaks of self as the sum of tradition and history
- Political, economic and social circumstances.
- The poet begins the poem by saying that all the generation before him donated legacy bit by bit, so that he has become a full fledged Jew. He compares himself to a house of prayer in Jerusalem or charitable Institution that has been erected as a result of charity and donation. The poet wanted to have bonding to all those who have contributed to his existence. My name's, my donor;s name actually means that the poet has changed his original surname Pfeuffer to Amichai meaning "My people live".
In the second stanza of the poem, the poet has grown old and he is approaching the age his father when he died. He is trying to recollect life's experiences patched with many patches. The poet says that each day is a new experience for him and he has the duty of fulfilling the prophecies that some day all the Jews will be back to the promise land. There is a binding in the promises and none of them were lies.