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כותב למגירה

English translation: writing for the drawer

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Hebrew term or phrase:כותב למגירה
English translation:writing for the drawer
Entered by: Ron Armon

16:15 Sep 21, 2007
Hebrew to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Journalism / a documentary piece
Hebrew term or phrase: כותב למגירה
A person in a documentary I'm translating into English states he writes (poetry, prose...) and uses this Hebrew term ("writing for the drawer"). Is there an accepted English equivalent?
Ron Armon
Israel
Local time: 20:02
writing for the drawer
Explanation:
The phrase "writing for the drawer" is pretty common in English.
Selected response from:

Smantha
Israel
Local time: 20:02
Grading comment
Thanks Smantha.

You were first,
and right, as usual
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2writing for the drawer
Smantha
4 +1writing for my drawer
Amir Gavriely


  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
writing for the drawer


Explanation:
The phrase "writing for the drawer" is pretty common in English.

Example sentence(s):
  • Some, like Herbert and Miron Bialoszewski, chose internal exile or "writing for the drawer."
  • While authors in crisis often "write for the drawer," Held took to making pictures so large that the only way to store canvases after showing them in the few available spaces big enough...

    Reference: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3692/is_199703/ai_n8...
    Reference: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_2_44/ai_n1675...
Smantha
Israel
Local time: 20:02
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in HebrewHebrew
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks Smantha.

You were first,
and right, as usual

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Shai Navé: It is common. Another option to describe this person is as a "bottom-drawer poet"
6 mins
  -> or "bottom-drawer writer", but there is only 1 or 2 Google hits for each of these expressions. Thanks for your support :)
agree  Iris Bat-Or
55 mins
  -> Thank you, Iris
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
writing for my drawer


Explanation:
this seems to be used in English as well
see
http://www.beheremondays.com/Blog.php?eid=148
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=15...
and, to some extent,
http://www.thefrustratedwriter.com/stories.html

Example sentence(s):
  • Which suggests Tsypkin wasn't just writing for the drawer. He was going one further in the paradoxes of imitated uniqueness than his hero
Amir Gavriely
Canada
Local time: 13:02
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in HebrewHebrew

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Iris Bat-Or
47 mins
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