SHIYE TENENBOYM (SHEA TENENBAUM)

SHIYE TENENBOYM (SHEA TENENBAUM) (April 14, 1910-November 24, 1989)

            He was born in the village of Bobrinik, Lublin district, Poland.  During WWI he moved with his parents to Koriv (Kurów), later to Pilev (Puławy).  He studied in religious elementary school and in a Jewish public school.  At age thirteen he studied to be a typesetter, before making his way to Belgium.  He lived in Antwerp and Brussels, working in publishing houses and textile factories.  From 1934 he was living in the United States.  For several years he was a patient in the Denver Sanatorium in Colorado for tuberculosis.  He debuted in print with a poem entitled “Mayn gelibte” (My beloved) in Di idishe prese (The Jewish press) in Antwerp (1926), and from that point he wrote and published poems, stories, miniatures, essays, articles, and novels in: Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper), Vokhnshrift far literatur (Weekly writing for literature), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), Varshever shriftn (Warsaw writings), and Dos naye lebn (The new life), among other serials in Warsaw; Naye folksblat (New people’s newspaper) in Lodz; Tog (Day), Forverts (Forward), Morgn-zhurnal (Morning journal), Der amerikaner (The American), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Fraye arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), Proletarisher gedank (Proletarian idea), Unzer tsayt (Our time), and other Yiddish publications in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Israel, and elsewhere.  In Yizker-bukh koriv (Remembrance volume for Kurów) (Tel Aviv, 1955), he wrote chapters of his autobiography which retain a general cultural-historical value.  He contributed as well to: Ksovim fun khayim krul (Writings of Khayim Krul) (New York, 1954).  With Zishe Bagish he edited the literary journal Yung belgye (Young Belgium) (Antwerp, 1932).  His books include: Euforyan (Antwerp, 1931), a poem, 16 pp.; Bay der velt tsu gast, reportazhn un dertseylungen (A guest of the world, reportage pieces and stories) (Warsaw, 1937), 192 pp.; Der sfinks (The sphinx), a novel (Chicago, 1938), 179 pp.; Kinder fun der zun, eseyen (Children of the sun, essays) (Mexico City, 1942), 372 pp.; Gold un zhaver, dertseylungen (Gold and rust, stories) (Mexico City, 1943), 394 pp.; Di shrift afn horizont, dertseylungen un eseyen (Writing on the horizon, stories and essays) (New York, 1947), 286 pp.; Shnit fun mayn feld, eseyen, dertseylungen, minyaturn (Harvest from my field, essays, stories, miniatures) (New York, 1949), 624 pp.; In gots geshtalt, minyaturn (In God’s image, miniatures), with drawings by Yude Tofel and Chaim Gross (New York, 1951), 256 pp., winner of the Tzvi Kessel Prize for 1957; A hant farshraybt, minyaturn (A hand is recording, miniatures) (New York, 1953), 224 pp.; Dikhter un doyres, eseyen (Poets and generations, essays) (New York, 1955), 256 pp.; Un di erd bashteyt af eybik, dertseylungen (And the earth remains forever, stories) (New York, 1957), 160 pp.; Ana frank, du vos host getrunken fun gots hant, un andere eseyen, dertseylungen, minyaturn (Anne Frank, you who have drunk from God’s hand, and other essays, stories, miniatures), with illustration by several painters (New York, 1958), 190 pp.; Der emes zol zayn dayn shtern (The truth should be your star), vol. 1 of autobiographical writing (New York, 1960), 334 pp.; Der sar fun lebn (The angel of life), vol. 2 of autobiographical writing (New York, 1963), 320 pp.; Ayzik ashmoday (Isaac Ashmodai), vol. 3 of autobiographical writing (New York: CYCO, 1965), 416 pp.; Iev fun Lemberg, zikhroynes un dertseylungen (Job from Lemberg, memoirs and stories) (New York: CYCO, 1967), 416 pp.; Geshtaltn baym shrayb-tish, zikhroynes vegn shrayber un moler in nyu-york, 1938-1968 (Figures by the desk, memoirs of writers and painters in New York, 1938-1968) (New York: CYCO, 1969), 416 pp.; Hunger tsum vort, minyaturn (Hunger for words, miniatures) (New York: CYCO, 1971), 416 pp.; Der letster eydes, dertseylungen (The last witness, stories) (New York: CYCO, 1972), 320 pp.; In dem keysers vaynshenk (At the emperor’s tavern) (New York: CYCO, 1973), 320 pp.; Oytsres in der fintsternish, eseyen, zikhroynes un notitsn (Treasures in the darkness, essays, memoirs, and notes) (New York: CYCO, 1974), 320 pp.; Di sude fun vort, di groyskeyt fun kleyne zakhn (The feast of the word, the greatness of little things) (New York, 1976), 384 pp.; A lok fun maydanek (A lock of hair from Majdanek), stories (New York: CYCO, 1978), 416 pp.; Er vet tsurikkumen fun oyshvits, eseyen, dertseylungen (He will return from Auschwitz, essays, stories) (New York: CYCO, 1981), 512 pp.; Fun ash un fayer iz dayn kroyn, eseyen, dertseylungen, zikhroynes (Your crown is of ash and fire, essays, stories, memoirs) (New York: CYCO, 1984), 511 pp.

Sources: N. Mayzil, in Haynt (Warsaw) (February 26, 1937); B. Shnaper, in Folkstsaytung (Warsaw) (January 18, 1937); Avrom Reyzen, in Di feder (New York) (1937, 1939, 1942, 1945, 1949); M. Grosman, in Literarishe bleter (Warsaw) (September 30, 1937); Grosman, in Arbeter-vort (Paris) (November 1947); Grosman, in Unzer heym (Tel Aviv) (July 7, 1955); A. Grinberg, in Oyfkum (New York) (November-December 1937); N. Y. Gotlib, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (February 28, 1941; December 22, 1944); Y. Botoshanski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (October 13, 1942; October 24, 1944); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (November 4, 1942; January 18, 1948); M. Rubinshteytn, in Di shtime (Mexico City) (November 21, 1942; December 5, 1942); Y. Entin, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (August 20, 1943); E. Almi, in Fraye arbeter-shtime (New York) (August 18, 1944); B. Rivkin, in Der tog (New York) (December 30, 1944); B. Y. Byalostotski, in Di shtime (March 16, 1946); B. Ts. Goldberg, in Der tog (December 4, 1946); Khayim Leyb Fuks, in Folkstsaytung (April 1, 1948); Y. Varshavski, in Forverts (New York) (June 19, 1949); Y. Berliner, in Der veg (Mexico City) (January 27, 1951); A. Shulman, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (June 26, 1955; February 23, 1957; April 24, 1957); Kh. Liberman, in Forverts (September 30, 1957; February 15, 1961); Y. L. Gruzman, in Der shpigl (Buenos Aires) (May 1960); Barvin-Frenkel, in Unzer shtime (January 28-29, 1961); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (January 29, 1961; February 5, 1961); A. Gordin, in Fraye arbeter-shtime (September 1, 1961); R. Herman, in Di shtime (September 30, 1961); Kh. Sh. Kazdan, in Unzer tsayt (October 1961).

Khayim Leyb Fuks

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 284.]