SHLOYME DAVIDMAN

SHLOYME DAVIDMAN (1900-August 5, 1975)

            He was born in Mogilev-Podolski (Mohyliv-Podilskyy), Ukraine.  He moved to the United States in 1920.  He completed the teachers’ course of study at the Workmen’s Circle in 1926.  He later became a teacher in leftist Jewish schools.  From 1921 he was publishing stories, impressions, sketches, dramatic studies, and notes primarily in Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia and in Di frayhayt (Freedom) in New York (1922), but only in the Jewish Communist press.  He was co-editor of Yung-kuznye (Young smithy), Yugnt (Youth), and Spartak (Spartacus).  In book form: Biro-bidzhan, maysele (Birobidzhan, a short story) (Detroit, n.d.), 7 pp.; Benkenish (Longing), poems (Yampol-Podolsk, 1919); Ershte trit, dertseylungen (First step, stories) (New York: Yung-kuznye, 1925), 63 pp.; Ven hertser brenen, dertseylungen (When hearts burn, stories) (New York: Yung-kuznye, 1926), 160 pp.; Geknipte ritlakh, dertseylungen (Pinched twigs, stories), with Maks Perlov (New York, 1928), 258 pp.; Heldn fun unzer tsayt, dertseylungen (Heroes of our time, stories) (Chicago, 1936), 127 pp.; Kinder fun nyu-york (Children of New York) (Chicago: Tseshinski, 1936), 64 pp.; A kinder shpil (A children’s play) (Chicago: Tseshinski, 1936), 74 pp.; Di kinder fun vunderland, komedye (Children from wonderland, a comedy) (Chicago: Folks-biblyotek, 1936), 16 pp.; A kop fun a idn (A Jewish head) (New York, 1943), 62 pp.; Der folks-zinger fun bronzvil (The folksinger from Brownsville) (New York, 1947), 88 pp.; Idishe kinder in birobidzhan, geshikhtes (Children in Birobidzhan, stories) (New York, 1948), 128 pp.; Di familye strunes fun mogilev-podolsk, roman (The family Strunes from Mogilev-Podolsk, a novel) (New York, 1949), 130, 126 pp.; A shprakh iz vi a gortn, shul-geshikhtes (A language is like a garden, school stories) (New York, 1952), 95 pp.; Olgin dermont unz (Olgin reminds us) (New York, n.d.), 48 pp.; Brider un shvester (Brothers and sisters) (Brooklyn, 1968), 32 pp.; Mit idish ken men oysforn a velt (With Yiddish you can travel the world) (Brooklyn, 1975), 150, 50 pp.; Lekhayim, idish! (To life, Yiddish!) (Brooklyn, 1975), 28, 20 pp.; Der idisher lerer, dertseylungen, fartseykhenungen un derinerungen (The Yiddish teacher, stories, notes, and memories) (New York, n.d.), 130 pp.  He published more books and pamphlets, mostly prior to 1933, which we did not have an opportunity to examine: Der fabrik-koymen shtraykt (The factory chimney is on strike), Di ershte negerl (The first black child), Khaver lenin hot gezogt (Comrade Lenin has spoken), Bire-bidzhan (Birobidzhan), Motele fun dorf “ikor” (Motele from the village of Ikor), Khaver lenin (Comrade Lenin), Di milkhome in nyu-york (The war in New York), Itsik der pyoner (Itsik the pioneer), and Mir viln broyt (We want bread).  He died in New York.

Source: A. Pomerants, Proletpen (Proletarian pen) (Kiev, 1935), 201-2.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 185-86.