A doctoral student’s dissertation on the importance of an eminent poet’s 23-year long refusal to write is ruined when the poet suddenly publishes new work. As the young scholar’s girlfriend tries to sway the poet to put down his pen forever, it is revealed that the poet has been writing reviews of his own work in the persona of a sports journalist, converting soccer jargon into critical analysis. Through this cheeky, erotic satire, Amichai lampoons a superficially sophisticated literary culture.

Killing Him is a production of the Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry. It was directed by Adam Seelig and produced by Ed Herrmann, by kind permission of Hana Amichai.