SHMUEL ADLER

SHMUEL ADLER (December 2, 1878-December 14, 1948)

Born in Kishinev, Bessarabia, into a poor family.  Studied in a religious school, a public school, and an artisan’s school.  He served in the Russian army.  At that time he began publishing stories in Russian.  He also wrote correspondence for Tog (Day) of St. Petersburg under the pseudonym Nesher.  In 1904 he issued a collection of Yiddish poems (published by “Literatur un lebn” [Literature and life], Petrikov).  In 1905 he emigrated to Germany and then to England and the United States.  From Germany he published his travel impressions in Vokhenblat (Weekly news, Czernowitz).  In London he was a contributor to Yidishe zhurnal (Jewish journal).  He translated Chekhov’s My Life and Kh. N. Bialik’s Masa nemirov (A tale of Nemirov).  He also published sketches in Tsukunft (Future), Fraye arbiter shtime (Free voice of labor), and Roman-tsaytung (Novel news, Warsaw), among others.  He additionally contributed to the daily press in New York under the pen names: Der Ashmedai (The demon king) and Yekhezkil Baran.  He wrote a melodrama in English that was produced in 1918.  Among his books: A teksi-drayver dertseylt, ernste un tshikave mayselekh, skitsn un bilder (A taxi driver recounts, earnest and curious stories, skits, and images) (New York, 1940), 96 pp.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Yitskhok Libman, in Nyu Yorker vokhnblat (1948-1949).