Born in Frankfurt of Russo-Polish parents, Inge Israel spent her childhood and adolescence mostly in Paris and Dublin. In Canada since 1958, she makes her permanent home in Edmonton, while continuing to travel widely and spending extended periods of time in Dublin, Paris, Cambridge and other places. Fluent in four languages Israel has written extensively for radio; her work has been broadcast by the BBC and CBC French and English Networks. A six-months' stay in Japan inspired Raking Zen Furrows (Ronsdale, 1991), her fourth book of poetry and her first in English. Also published by Ronsdale Press are Unmarked Doors (1992) and Rifts in the Visible, her seventh book.