BENYOMEN SEGELMAN

BENYOMEN SEGELMAN

            He was from Lithuania.  He was among the first contributors to the Yiddish daily press in the United States, in which he published newspaper news and “thrilling stories.”  He authored entertainment novels and translations from Russian, German, English, and Hebrew.  He placed work in: Di yudishe gazetten (The Jewish gazette), Folks-advokat (People’s advocate), Teglekher herald (Daily herald), and Yudishe abend-post (Jewish evening mail), among other serials in New York.  In them he published the novels: Tsurik gekomene libe (Requited love), initially published in anthologies, later in book form (New York, 1893), 242 pp., second edition (Warsaw, 1894); and Amerikaner sheydim (American demons) (Warsaw, 1894, 1895 in anthologies).  He also published translations of Philipson’s historical novels and Jules Verne’s works of fantasy, among which were published: Teksers shtrof oder nord gegen soyth (Texar’s revenge, or, North Against South [original: Nord contre Sud]) (New York, 1895), 137 pp.; and Der geheymnis inzel, aropgefallen fun himmel (The secret island, fallen from the sky [original: Île mystérieuse (Mysterious island)]) (New York, 1896), 100 pp.  He apparently also published under the pen name “Der Litvak” (the Lithuanian).  Further biographical information remains unknown.

Sources: Advertisements in Yudishe gazetten, Folks-advokat, and Teglekher herald—in New York; book catalogues from New York and Warsaw (1894-1895); Elye (Elias) Shulman, Geshikhte fun der yidisher literatur in amerike (History of Yiddish literature in America) (New York, 1943), p. 90.

Khayim Leyb Fuks