GUTE GUTERMAN

GUTE GUTERMAN (b. July 5, 1911)

            She was born in Mogelnitse (Mogielnica) into a working family of Hassidim.  She studied in a public school and with private tutors.  She herself later became a worker as well.  She was in Warsaw until WWII, later (until 1946) in Russia, and until 1951 in Poland, from whence she moved to the state of Israel.  She began publishing in Vokhnshrift (Weekly writings) in Warsaw in 1932, and from that point in time she contributed to Naye folks-tsaytung (New people’s newspaper) and Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves).  After the war, she published in: Dos naye lebn (The new life), Yidishe shriftn (Yiddish writings), Arbeter-vort (Workers’ word), Folksshtime (Voice of the people), and Oyfgang (Arise)—all in Poland; Oktyabr (October) in Moscow; Shtern (Star) in Minsk; Heymish (Familiar), Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), Letste nayes (Latest news), and Nayvelt (New world) in Tel Aviv; and Tsukunft (Future) in New York.  She published a collection of poems entitled Der opgrund roysht (The precipice rushes) (Lodz: Farlag Yidish bukh, 1948), 76 pp.; and another entitled Klore volkns, lider un satires (Clear clouds, poems and satires) (Tel Aviv: Gerangl, 1971), 142 pp.  Her poems, although on the whole weak in form, reflected genuine experience and were deeply human in their themes.

Ruvn Goldberg

Sources: Lili Berger, in Naye prese (Paris) (February 5, 1949); Sh. Lastik, in Yidishe shriftn (Warsaw) 21 (1949); Sh. Kants, in the anthology Nidershlezye (Niderszlezje) (1949); Y. Y. Sigal, in Keneder odler (December 24, 1951).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 152.]