ROZE (ROSA) PALATNIK

ROZE (ROSA) PALATNIK (December 15, 1904-December 30, 1979)

            The wife of Pinye Palatnik, she was born in Kroshnik (Kraśnik), Poland, into a pious religious home.  She acquired secular learning through self-study.  At age sixteen, she was a teacher in a small Jewish school.  In 1926 she took part in a literary competition run by Velt-shpigl (World mirror) in Warsaw with a work entitled “Laydnshaft un oysgelasnkeyt” (Passion and profligacy), using the pen name Shoshane, and won a prize.  In 1927 she immigrated to France.  In 1930 she began publishing stories in Handls-tsaytung (business newspaper).  She was secretary to the supplementary school “La Colonie Scolaire” (famed Jewish children’s home in Paris).  In 1936 she moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  She published weekly stories and reportage pieces in the local daily Folks-tsaytung (People’s newspaper).  In 1938 she published fictional work in Yidishe prese (Jewish press) in Rio and other Brazilian publications.  She also placed work in: Di feder (The pen), Fraye arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), and Morgn-zhurnal (Morning newspaper) in New York; Der kontinent (The continent) in Mexico City; the anthology Der poylisher id (The Polish Jew) and Shpigl (Mirror) in Buenos Aires; Dovid pinski zamlbukh (Dovid Pinski anthology), Undzer baytrog (Our contribution), Yidishe tsaytung (Jewish newspaper), and Yidishe prese in Rio de Janeiro; and Nayer moment (New moment) in São Paolo; among others.  In 1956 she received the Fishl Bumko Prize for a story that appeared in Di goldene keyt (The golden chain) in Tel Aviv.  She went on to write a regular weekly column for Nayer moment.  She died in Rio de Janeiro.  Her books include: Kroshnik-rio, dertseylungen (Kraśnik-Rio, stories), preface by Meylekh Ravitsh (Rio de Janeiro: Monte Scopus, 1953), 205 pp.; Baym geroysh fun atlantik (By the sound of the Atlantic), stories (Rio de Janeiro: Monte Scopus, 1957), 177 pp.; Draytsn dertseylungen (Thirteen stories) (Rio de Janeiro: Monte Scopus, 1961), 169 pp.; Geklibene dertseylungen (Selected stories) (Rio de Janeiro: Biblios, 1966), 244 pp.

            “I was taken by surprise,” wrote Avrom Sutzkever, “in R. Palatnik’s story: the richness of her language, the newness of her poetic imagery, the artistic quality of her manner of telling a story, and her fine humor.”

            “The Brazilian Yiddish storyteller, R. Palatnik,” noted Y. Botoshanski, “has gradually become a recognized author throughout our little world.  Her distinctive mood and colorful items, both from life in the old country and from Brazilian Jewish and Gentile life, appear in the major Yiddish newspapers and the best journals, and our critics have responded to them with absolute positivity.  Her first two books have assured for her a place among the finest Yiddish storytellers.”

Sources: A. Lis, in Di goldene keyt (Tel Aviv) 21 (1955); A. Lipiner, in Der yidisher zhurnal (Toronto) (November 7, 1956); A. Leyeles, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 25, 1957); A. Blum, in Tsukunft (New York) (May-June 1957); Y. Varshavski (Bashevis), in Forverts (New York) (December 23, 1958); Y. Botoshanski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (October 17, 1961); A. Oyerbakh, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (October 22, 1961; November 27, 1966); Meylekh Ravitsh, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (October 30, 1961); Shloyme Bikl, in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (April 29, 1962).

Leyb Vaserman

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 424.]