Yiddish Literature and World Literature in Yiddish

A selection of Yiddish literary works and translations of world literature into Yiddish along with a few scholarly items.

Tsaytshrift = Zeitschrift = Chasopis. Bukh I. Minsk, Institut far vaysruslendisher kultur, yidisher sektor.; Institut belaruskae kulturi jaurejski sektar.; Institut fur weissruthenische Kultur. judische Sektor, 1926-1931. Quarto, green cloth with gold lettering, front endpaper cracked at the hinge, 277 pp., a few b/w illustrations, mildly yellowed paper  German language precis' of the articles at the rear. Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish except as noted. Articles are "Tsu der Sotsyaler Geshikhte fun Yidn in Vaysrusland," Y. Sosis, "Di Yidishe Balmelokhes un Rusland in der Ershter Helft fun 19-tn Yor Hundert," S. Rombakh, "Di Sotsyale Farheltenishn un di Sotsyale Bavegung in Folk Yisroel," M.A. Lurye, "Neyste Shtremungen in der Biblisher Visnshaft," N.M. Nikolay, "Peretses "Shtet un Shtetlekh,"" Oyslender, N., "Der Itstiker Tsushtand fun Peretses Byografye," Gurshteyn, A., "Sotsyale Figuren in A. Goldfaden Ershte Verk," Uri Finkel, "Bamerkungen Vegn Poetishn Shteyger fun Yidishn Folklid," Y. Goldberg, "Folklor-Zamlung," Z. Khrafkovsky, "'Der kop' in Yidish," Kh. Spivak, "A Geshikhte Yidishee Bibliotek in a Yidish Hoyz in Venetsye in mitn Zekhstn Yorhundert," N. Shtif, "A Yidish Lid Vegen Shabtai Tsvi fun Yor 1666," Max Weinreich, "Bletlekh tsu der Geshikhte fun der Elterer Yidish Literatur," Max Erik, Vegn Yidishe Dialektn," M. Weinger, "Der Leksikon fun Mener-Shneyderey," B. Slutzky, "Treybn: A Leksikalisher Etyud," M. Weinreich, with a section of short contributions, "Miteylungen un Materialen."
        The most important Soviet scholarly literary journal in Yiddish. The first of three issues. (66575)      $100.00

Falikman, Y[ehiel]. Mentshn fun mayn land: dertseylungen. Moscow, Ogiz, Melukhe-Farlag "Der Emes", 1945. Octavo, paper covers, 168 pp. Softbound. Very Good. Text is in Yiddish in the Soviet Orthography. Falikman was a somewhat straight-ahead Soviet author. Early on he spent a little time on the Birobidzhan. He did write on the Holocaust to the extent that it was possible within the Soviet system. His novels published in Yiddish up through 1953. He continued to appear in Yiddish periodicals after the Thaw and Russian translations of his novels also appeared in that period. His support for the Soviet anti-Zionist campaign in the post 1967 era is indicative of his accession to the Soviet system.  (45638)      $45.00

Leivick, H. Der Golem: Dramatishe Poeme in Akht Bilder. Warsaw, Farlag Kultur-Lige, 1922. Octavo, olive cloth spine, soiled black cloth covered boards, 234 pp. Yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Yiddish. OCLC Number: 24053096. The second edition. The first European edition. (66597)      $75.00

Perets, Yitshak Leyb [Isaac leib Peretz], edited by. Perets's bletlikh: Zshurnal fir literatur gezellshaft un ekonomye. 2ter Band. Warsaw, Ferlag fun Y. Lidsky Bukhhendler, 1903. Octavo, worn green cloth spine, soiled printed paper panel on the front board, 248 pp. Hardbound. Good. In Yiddish. OCLC Number: 56962519. (65994)      $60.00


Pinsky, S[hammai ]. Halutsim. London, Aroysgegeben fun dem hoyfbyuro fun'm Keren ha-yesod, 1922. Octavo, stapled paper covers with wear along the spine and light soiling, 32 pp. Softbound. Good. Text is in Yiddish. An active Zionist who eventually made aliyah in his twilight years. (66579)      $35.00

Pintshevski, Mosheh. Tsveyt: lider. Buenos Aires, 1918. Octavo, soiled light blue cloth spine, illustrated paper covered boards with a vignette photo of the author, 132 pp., with some weakness to the hinges and general looseness, wear to the edges of a few of the pages.  Hardbound. Good. One of the first twenty-five books published in Yiddish in Argentina. The first Yiddish book published in Argentina was 'Estatuten fun der aktsyen gezelshaft" from the Fondo Komunal" fun Kolonye Klara. There were some pieces of music and periodicals that preceded this work. (66555)      $75.00

Ran, Leyzer, compiled by. Di legende Perets. Perets Yoyvl Yor Proklamirt durkhn Alveltlekhn Yidishn Kultur Kongres. 1852-1952 100 Yoriker Geboyrntog, 1875-1951 75 Yor - Areyntrit in der Literatur/ La Leyenda Peretz: Publicacion especial en conmemoracion del Centenario de nacimento del clasico de la literatura Judia, Icjok Leibush Peretz y 75o. Aniversario de su primera publiccion literaria. Havana, Cuba, Aroysgegebn fun kultur rat baym Yidish tsenter, 1951-1952. Octavo, paper covers, with minor wear and sunning, 52, xxiv pp., a few b/w photos. The cover is illustrated with a micro-graphic drawing of Peretz.  Softbound. Very Good-. Text is in Yiddish with a Spanish language section at the rear. Havana was host to a population of at least 15,000 before the fall of Bautista. Around one hundred separate items were published in Yiddish in Cuba. There are held lightly in general. Like Berlin's Yiddish publications, Havana's are worth further study. (58006)      $75.00

Vendrof, N [Zalman Wendroff]. Friher un shpeter. Warsaw, Familyen-bibliyotek, Between 1909 and 1912. Duodecimo, stapled paper covers, 20 pp., yellowed paper. Softbound. Good. In Yiddish. Juvenalia by one of the best Soviet Yiddish story-tellers. Wendroff who became a successful writer in the Soviet era when he was able to avoid the authorities and the gulag. His last book published before his death came at the twilight of the thaw period. Proof of his popularity can be found in the 1980 publication of another of his novels in Moscow in 1980. (66580)      $45.00

Translations

Bellamy, E. In hundert Yohr Arom. Warsaw, Ferlag "Progres", 1906. Small octavo, black  cloth with faded gold lettering, 207 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good. Translated into Yiddish by David Druk. Bellamy was an American socialist and novelist. Looking Backward 2000-1887, was originally published in 1888. It was one of the most successful novels of the Nineteenth Century and inspired a group of "Nationalist Clubs," with the goal of achieving some of the achievements that Bellamy had projected. In hundert Yohr Arom is one of the only works of speculative fiction to appear in Yiddish with the exception of the multi-volume set of Jules Verne works. (66608)      $35.00

D'Annunzio, Gabriele [Singer, Isaac Bashevis]. In opgrunt fun tayve: (roman). Warsaw, Farlag M. Goldfarb, 1929. Small octavo, purple cloth with gold lettering, 264 pp., hinges cracking at the gutters, mildly yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Translated into Yiddish by "Y. Bashevis [Isaac Bashevis Singer]." Item C3 in Miller's Bashevis Bibliography. A translation of the novel Il Piacere (Pleasure), 1884. Miller believes Singer based his translation on an earlier translation from Italian into German by Maris Gagliardi in 1920. D' Annunzio was an unusual character. Of noble birth and endowed with talent from his earliest days D'Annunzio's style was both mystical and decadent. He was an extreme Italian Nationalist and an inspiration in part for Mussolini's brand of Fascism. Singer also translated Knut Hamsun, another talented author who eventually found a home in fascism. An odd coincidence of history. Uncommon. (45579)      $250.00

Doroshevich, V. M. Der knut, oder, A hesped nokh der nagayke. Vilna, Ferlag 'Internatsionale bibliothek', 1906. 16mo, stapled paper covers, 15, ii pp., ads, yellowed paper. Softbound. Very Good-. Translated from the original Russian into Yiddish. Uncommon. Doroshevich wrote about Sakhalin and the Russian Far East. He was a successful and popular journalist. He was the product of a marriage between an heiress to a wealthy family and poor writer. She was disinherited because of the marriage. Doroshevich spent some time as a manual laborer early on and identified with the masses. He approved of the Bolshevik revolution and was considered on the right side of it. (66606)     $50.00

Glazer, Leon S. Fun Moskve biz Yerushalayim (Di Moral Shtarbt) A Lebns-Bashraybung fun a Revolutsyoner/ From Moscow to Jerusalem: The Moral Perishes. Life-Story. New York, Max Jankowitz, 1938. Second Printing. Octavo in chipped and torn dust jacket, 215 pp., b/w photos. Hardbound. Very Good. Translated into Yiddish from the German by Isaac Singer. Number C11 in Miller's Isaac Bashevis Singer bibliography. The last Singer translation of another person's work. With a lengthy inscription in Yiddish by the author on the half-title page. (44264)      $150.00

Kollontai, A[lexandra]. Fraye libe: roman (fun lebn in Rotn-Rusland). Warsaw, Farlag Shelomoh Tsuker, 1929. Duodecimo, dustly green cloth with gold lettering (spine lettering faded), frontispiece photo, 238 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good-. Translated into Yiddish from the Russian by D. Bakhrakh. First published in Russian in 1925. Kollentai, once an influential Bolshevik, had by this time been side-lined into Ambassadorial duties. Although she is well known for her prominence as a Bolshevik and a supporter of women's rights she is less well known for her literary efforts. This work appeared in an English translation in 1932. (66560)      $75.00

Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich. Poltave: poeme. Vilna, Vilner Farlag fun B.A. Kletskin, 1923. Small octavo, paper covers, soiling to the title page, 71 pp., yellowed paper. Softbound. Very Good-. Translated into Yiddish from the Russian by A. I. Grodzenski. OCLC Number:. 19306306. Many items published in Yiddish are rarely seen in the original condition and binding, yet that is precisely the condition that is most suitable and appealing when a library or museum wants to use their holdings as part of an exhibition (or, if they believe that their collection represents, "a National Bibliography"). (66591)      $50.00

Zola, Emile. Nantas, oder, Der gekoyfter man: a realistishes lebensbild. New York, Hebrew Publishing Co., 1925. Octavo, paper covers with a short tear from the top of the spine, mildly rumpled front cover, 92 pp. Softbound. Good. Translated into Yiddish by D. M. Hermalin. An uncommon title. Zola was a popular author with the Yiddish reading public and this is one of many tiles translated into Yiddish by Hermalin and others in the period before the First World War.
       The address and other publication is covered over on the front cover with a booksellers label. Text reads "I. Fricklas/ Manufacturer of/ Finest Gold and Silver Embroidery/ Hebrew Books and Thalaisem a Specialty/ 97 Rivington St., New York/ Telephone, Orchard 4735." Although booksellers are now either pitied, dismissed or reviled they were once vital figures in the dissemination of culture and in the Jewish community of learning. There have been one or two booksellers featured in Yiddish literature. Knowledge of the history of Jewish bookselling is one of the blind-spots in the history of how Jewish culture was spread. Labels like these and even more modest labels are one of the few remaining clues we have to fill in this puzzle. (66590)     $60.00