SAM
LIPTZIN (SHEPSL, SEM LIPTSIN) (March 13, 1893-September 22, 1980)
He was born in Lipsk, Suwalk
district, Russian Poland. At age nine he
began working with his father in tailoring.
He moved to New York in 1909, worked in a sweatshop, and in his free hours
he pursued self-study. At age sixteen,
he became active in the Socialist Party.
He began literary work for Der
kundes (The prankster) and Di varheyt
(The truth), as well as in trade union newspapers. Together with A. Ayzen and H. Garvin, he
published (1920) the monthly Der humorist
(The humorist). From 1922 he was a
regular contributor to Frayhayt
(Freedom), later Morgn-frayhayt
(Morning freedom), in which he published humorous sketches, poems, and stories
from the sweatshop, and ran the column “A vort far a vort” (A word for a
word). He also placed pieces in the
journals: Yidish kultur (Jewish
culture) and Zamlungen (Collections)
in New York; Naye prese (New press)
in Paris; Folks-shtime (Voice of the
people) in Warsaw; and various publications of IKUF (Jewish cultural association)
in South Africa and the state of Israel.
His books include: Af laytish
gelekhter (The laughing stock), humorous pieces, poetry, aphorisms (New
York, 1923), 160 pp.; Royte feferlekh
(Little red peppers) (New York, 1926), 160 pp.; Ikh lakh fun der velt (I laugh at the world), monologues (New York,
1927), 36 pp.; Lomir zingen, in kemp un
kamf (Let’s sing, in camp and in struggle) (New York, 1930), 32 pp.; Far royte ovntn (For red evenings) (New
York, 1932), 125 pp.; Gekemft un felakht
(Fought and laughed) (New York, 1933), 32 pp.; Lebedik un lustik (Living and cheerful) (New York, 1933), 16 pp.; Nitgedaiget (Carefree) (New York, 1934),
208 pp.; Gut morgn (Good morning)
(New York, 1935), 96 pp.; Kamflustik
(Joy of the struggle) (Los Angeles, 1936), 176 pp.; A freylekhs (A cheerful tune) (New York, 1938), 128 pp.; A gut-yontev (Happy holidays) (New York,
1940), 64 pp.; Krig un zig (War and
victory) (New York, 1942), 80 pp.; Mit
gezang in kamf (With song in battle) (New York, 1942), 32 pp.; Tselokhes di trern (In spite of tears)
(New York, 1943), 48 pp. (English translation by S. P. Rudens as In Spite of Tears [New York, 1946]); Kvekzilbers penshtiferayen (Quicksilver’s
mischievous pranks with his pen) (New York, 1944), 64 pp.; Hert a mayse (Listen to a story) (New York, 1945), 72 pp.; Shpil tsum tsil, humoreskes, monologn,
retsitatsyes un kinder-lidlakh (Play to the goal, humorous sketches,
monologues, recitations, and children’s songs) (New York, 1949), 144 pp.; Zingen mir, lider un parodyes af populare
melodyes (We’re singing, songs and parodies of popular melodies) (New York,
1949), 46 pp.; Amol iz geven, epizodn fun
svet-shop, bilder fun di grine yorn, kamf far treyd-yunyonizm in amerike (The
past happened, episodes from a sweatshop, images from the green [i.e., first] years,
the struggle for trade unionism in America) (New york, 1951), 264 pp.; Far freyd un fridn (For happiness and
peace) (New York, 1953), 160 pp.; A vort
far a vort (A word for a word) (New York, 1955), 178 pp.; Af vakatsye, humoristishe dertseylungen,
monologn, retsitatsyes un aforizmen (On vacation, humorous stories, monologues,
recitations, and aphorisms) (New York, 1957), 128 pp.; Far kleyn un groys, humoristishe lider (For small and large [young
and old], humorous songs) (New York, 1957), 64 pp.; Vi zogt der feter (What did uncle say?) (New York, 1960), 208 pp.; Zingen mir, hundert un tsvantsik arbeter
humoristishe un folks-lider (We’re singing, 120 workers’ humorous and
popular songs) (New York, 1961), 64 pp.; Mit
a freylekh ponim (With a happy face) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1963), 235 pp.; Zingen mir far sholem, 150 lider tsum zingen
(We’re singing for peace, 150 songs to sing) (New York, 1965), 96 pp.; Mayn gortn (My garden), stories,
humorous sketches, songs of struggle (New York: IKUF, 1969), 378 pp. He died in New York.
Sources:
Shmuel Niger, in Tog (New York)
(March 24, 1935); M. Kats, in Morgn-frayhayt
(New York) (May 2, 1942); M. Kligsberg, Dos
yidishe bukh in 1943 (The Yiddish book in 1943), annual (New York, 1945);
Y. B. Beylin, in Morgn-frayhayt (May
13, 1944; November 5, 1946; October 16, 1955); Y. Mestel, in Yidishe kultur (New York) (March 1949);
Mestel, in Zamlungen (New York) 12
(1957); Z. Vaynper, in Yidish kultur
(October 1951); M. Goldin, in Naye prese
(Paris) (June 7, 1952); R. Yuklson, in Zamlungen
(April-June 1954); Yuklson, in Yidishe
kultur (January 1958); D. Karpinovitsh, in Folks-shtime (Warsaw) (February 25, 1956).
Benyomen Elis.
[Additional
information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon
fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New
York, 1986), col. 337.]
