URI-NISN GNESIN (URI-NISSAN GNESSIN)

URI-NISN GNESIN (URI-NISSAN GNESSIN) (October 29, 1879-March 6, 1913)

            He was born in Starodub, Bryansk region, Ukraine.  He studied in religious elementary school and later, with Y. Ḥ. Brenner, in the yeshiva with his father, the rabbi in Potshep (Pochep).  As a young man he wandered through Russia and suffered from want.  In 1907 he departed for London to join Brenner and there became a contributor to Hameorer (The awakening).  From there he headed for Israel, but he soon returned home to Potshep.  He later moved to Warsaw and contributed to Hatsfira (The siren).

            He was a significant prose writer in Hebrew, but in Yiddish he wrote little, such as a review in Folksshtime (Voice of the people) and a story, entitled “In gertner” (In the gardens), in Yudishe velt (Jewish world) in 1913.  A number of his Hebrew novellas were translated into Yiddish, among them: Froym margolis (Ephraim Margolis) (Warsaw, 1925), 172 pp.  His more important works in Hebrew include: Hatsida (Sideways), Bentayim (Meanwhile), Beterem (Before), and Etsel (Close by).  He died in Warsaw.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Kh. Toran and M. Robinzon, Sifrutenu hayafe (Our beautiful literature), vol. 1 (Jerusalem, 1952), pp. 82-91; Aharon Ben-Or, Toldot hasifrut haivrit haḥadasha (History of modern Hebrew literature), vol. 2 (Tel Aviv, 1951), pp. 387-98; Y. Likhtnboym, Hasifrut haivri (Hebrew literature) (Tel Aviv, 1955), p. 517; Yosef Rapoport, Mesepraim ivrim (Hebrew narratives) (Tel Aviv, 1956), p. 183; See Brener’s letters to him in Igrot y. ḥ. brener (The letters of Y. Ḥ. Brenner), ed. M. Puzananski (Tel Aviv, 1941).