HERSH GUDELMAN (HARRY J. GOODELMAN)

HERSH GUDELMAN (HARRY J. GOODELMAN) (May 20, 1892-1967)

            He was born in Otik (Ataki), Bessarabia.  He studied in religious elementary school, later with his father, the Yiddish writer Yoysef Gudelman who ran a Russian school in the town.  He later graduated from the state school in his town.  In 1905, together with two of his brothers, he emigrated to the United States, and in 1912 he worked as a packer in a clothing factory.  From 1929 he was employed as an apartment painter.  He began to write—poetry and prose—in 1907.  The first years he published mostly in Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor).  He later placed pieces in: Forverts (Forward), Varhayt (Truth), Naye varhayt (New truth), Dos naye land (The new land), Kibetser (Joker), Literarishe velt (Literary world), Gerekhtikeyt (Justice), Milers vokhnblat (Miller’s weekly newspaper), Tsayt (Time), Haynt (Today), Keneder id (Canadian Jew), Kundes (Prankster), Der gazlen (The thief), Teater-shtern (Theater star), Teater-shpigl (Theater mirror), and others.  He served as editor of: Poezye (Poetry), monthly journal of modern poetry and criticism (New York, 1919-1920); Di berg shtime (The voice of the mountain) (Liberty, 1924); Teater shtern, biweekly magazine (New York, 1926); Unzer tsaytung (Our newspaper) (Brooklyn, 1928).  He was the author of the following comedies: Di mizinke (The youngest daughter), staged in New York in 1910, and Tserunene khaloymes (Disappearing dreams).  Among his books: Minutn (Minutes), modern poetry with additions by Arn Gudelman (New York, 1923), 105 pp.  He translated a volume of poems by the Japanese poet Isamu Noguchi.  He also published under the pseudonyms: Khokhem Atik, Hershele Dubrovner, Namledug, Ish Godl, Pauline Brandrat, Roze Barkin, A Besaraber, and others.  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Z. Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 1; A. Leyeles, in Inzikh (New York) (April 1940).