David Bergelson
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B. was born in Akhrimov
(Sarno) near Uman, Kiev Gubernia. His father was a
prayer leader and a Talner Chasid, the "rich man" of
the shtetl and of the community. B. began to
write early, at first in Russian, then in Hebrew. His
first works were both in Hebrew (1906), both in Yiddish
(1907), which he sent into production, but they weren't
published. Living since 1908 in Kiev, where B. had as an
extern traveled to the exams (also he studied as a sheep
doctor, but later he gave it up), he wrote his great
story "Arum vokzal," which he was forced to publish on
his own account (publisher "Progress," Warsaw, 1909),
and it was immediately evoked the attention of the
Yiddish critics.
Outside of literary work,
B. had until the March Revolution also taken an active
part in the Jewish Cultural Movement, that addressed the
Ukraine under the direction of the Kiev "Culture
League)," of which B. was one of the founders. When it
was founded in May 1918, the dramatic studio of the |
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"Culture League," B.
until September 1920 was the director and literary
leader, and he participated in the direction and in
the courses.
B. adapted his story,
"Der toyber," as a drama in 3 acts, and fragments of
it were published in the New York "Frayheyt," 1927.
The play under he name of "Oybn un untn" under the
direction of Moshe Rafalski, music by Kreyn,
decorations and costumes by Tischler, on 27 April
1929 was staged in Homel by "VIMT." The play under
the name of "Di broyt-mil" ("Der toyber") in 1930
was published in a Vilna publishing house by B.
Kletzkin.
The play was
translated into German by Dr. Prints for the
Piskator Theatre.
At the end of 1929
through the Chicago Yiddish Literary-Dramatic
society collective he [became read=forgeleyent
gevorn], with the participation of the author,
his one-act comedy "In yidish-sovetishn gerikht,"
which was later staged (Director Jacob Mestel) by "Artef"
in Carnegie Hall in New York.
In the "Frayheyt" of
March-April 1929 there was published fragments of
B.'s three-act drama "Beym telefon," which was being
read during a Bergelson evening in New York with the
participation of the author, through "Artef."
M. E.
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Zalmen Reyzen
-- "Lexicon of Yiddish Literature," Vol. I, pp.
347-52.
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Nakhman Mzyzel
-- David bergelson, "Der toyber," in veysrusishn
yidishen mlukhh-teaterr, "Literarishe bleter,"
Warsaw, 4, 1929.
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Sh. Niger --
David bergelson, "Literarishe bleter," Warsaw,
9, 1929.
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David Bergelson
-- "Literarishe bleter," 37, 1929.
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