VOLF TAMBUR

VOLF TAMBUR (March 29, 1915-1995)

            He was born in Eiberrine [?], Romania.  He studied in religious elementary school and yeshiva, later becoming a typesetter.  Active in Poale Agudat-Yisrael (Workers of Agudat Yisrael), he later moved over to the left.  He wrote sketches for a variety of periodicals which were published in Romania between 1935 and 1940.  He was evacuated during WWII to Soviet Central Asia.  In 1947 he published the fragment of a novel in Bukareshter zamlbikher (Bucharest anthologies).  He also published stories, poems, and translations in: Ying maramorosh (Young Marmației) and Unzer lebn (Our life) in Sighet; Ikuf-bleter (Pages from IKUF [Jewish cultural association]) and Tsaytshrift-ksav-yad (Periodical-manuscript) in Bucharest; Bukareshter shriftn (Bucharest writings)—co-editor of the last two of these; Letste nayes (Latest news) in Tel Aviv; Unzer vort (Our word) in Paris; and Folks-shtime (Voice of the people) in Warsaw; among others.  His books include: Bay der tir, dertseylungen (At the door, stories) (Czernowitz, 1937), 32 pp.; Mayn heym, dertseylungen (My home, stories) (Sighet, 1940), 96 pp.; Friling un zun, roman (Spring and sun, a novel) (Arad, 1947), 208 pp.; Moyshe, a mayse vi in khumesh (Moses, a story as in the Bible) (Arad, 1948), 32 pp.; Maramoreshener, dertseylungen (People of Marmației, stories) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1975), 316 pp.; Lebedike meysim (Living corpses) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1976), 304 pp.; Yidish-prese in rumenye (The Yiddish press in Romania) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1977), 352 pp.; Kreln fun toy, dertseylungen un minyaturn (Dewdrops, stories and miniatures) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1978), 343 pp.; Harbst mit zun (Autumn with sun) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1980), 241 pp.; Shir-hamayles, trepngezang, roman (Song of ascents, a novel) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1982), 320 pp.; Hert a mayse (Listen to a story) (Bucharest: Kriteryon, 1985), 318 pp.  In a number of his pieces, he describes the lives of Romanian Jewish farmers and salt miners.  He also wrote under such pseudonyms as: Ish Tam, Benyomen Z. Ganz., V. Zelikovitsh, and V. Zelikson.

Sources: A. B., in Oyfboy (Czernowitz) (September 6, 1937); A. Shvarts, in Literarishe bleter (Warsaw) (May 20, 1938); Y. Mirkin, in Ikuf-bleter (Bucharest) 18 (1948); Shloyme Bikl, in Tsukunft (New York) (February 1956); Bikl, Rumenye: geshikhte, literatur-kritik, zikhroynes (Romania: history, literary criticism, memoirs) (Buenos Aires: Kiem, 1961), pp. 408-9; Sh. Shtern, in Yidishe kultur (New York) 1 (1878); Y. Kara, in Goldene keyt (Tel Aviv) 99 (1979).

Benyomen Elis

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 276.]