BELA GOLDVIRT (BELLA GOLDWORTH)

BELA GOLDVIRT (BELLA GOLDWORTH) (February 2, 1902[1]-February 12, 1990)

            She came from a poor family and emigrated to New York in 1921.  She debuted in print with a poem in Frayhayt (Freedom) in New York.  From 1936 she began publishing stories in Morgn frayhayt (Morning freedom), Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture), and Zamlungen (Anthologies)—in New York.  In book form: Naye teg, dertseylungen (New days, stories) (New York: International People’s Order, 1949), 191 pp.; In der fremd (Abroad) (New York: IKUF, 1954), 240 pp.; Iber grenetsn (Across borders) (New York: IKUF, 1966), 271 pp.; Dertseylungen (Stories) (New York: IKUF, 1983), 160 pp.; Lider (Poetry) (New York: IKUF, 1983), 60 pp.  Max Rosenfeld translated two of her novels into English: Across the Border (New York, 1971); and The Unknown Relative (New York, 1976).  She published the second of these in Morgn frayhayt under the title Der umbakanter korev (The unknown relative).

Sources: Y. B. Beylin, in Morgn frayhayt (New York) (November 13, 1949); Morgn frayhayt (January 23, 1955); B. Grin, Fun dor tsu dor (From generation to generation) (New York, 1971), pp. 382-86; Sh. Shtern, in Morgn frayhayt (March 13, 1983); W. Glicksman, in Jewish Exponent (New York) (May 21, 1971).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 137.

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[1] Some sources give a birth year of 1900.