Friday 27 July 2018

SALOMEA PERL


SALOMEA PERL (1869-1916?)
            She was born in Lomzhe, Poland, daughter of Kalmen-Avigdor Perla, author of Otsar lashon akhamim (Treasury of the language of sages), among other work.  She was raised in Lublin.  She later moved to Warsaw and worked in a translation office for foreign languages.  She graduated from Geneva University and studied in Paris and London.  In the early 1890s, she debuted in print with stories in Polish, which attracted the attention of literary circles.  Under the influence of Perets, she began to write in Yiddish, and she published several impressionistic works in Yontef bleter (Holiday sheets): “Broyt zukhendik” (Searching for bread), “Ohn kinder” (Childless), and “In teater” (In the theater).  Due to poor health she wrote little.  She also published: “Patke mit di bremen” (Patke with the eyebrows), Yud (Jew) 19; “Mikhele der latnik” (Mikhele the patcher),[1] Yudishe folkstsaytung (Jewish people’s newspaper); “Tsipke” (Tsipke), Fraynd (Friend) (1903); and “Di kanve” (The canvas), Shtrahl (Beam [of light]) (1910).

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2; Avrom Reyzen, in Tsukunft (New York) (1920), pp. 649-51; Dr. Y. Shatski, Geshikhte fun yidn in varshe (History of Jews in Warsaw), vol. 3 (New York: YIVO, 1953), p. 275.
Yankev Kahan



[1] Translator’s note.  This may be an error for “Khaykl der latnik” (Khaykhl the patcher). (JAF)

2 comments:

  1. 1916 death date is incorrect. Clear from 1920 A. Reyzen article, 1923 article by A. Margolin in Chicago Yiddisher Kuryer cited by Z. Reyzen, and for that matter from her dates in Z. Reyzen Leksikon that she was alive when each of those sources was written. As late as 1933, she placed an ad for her translation and business correspondence services in Nasz Przegląd. The ad (and many other references to her in Polish sources, as well as some false positives) may be found by searching https://polona.pl and checking the "search in content" box.
    Tx for your great work!
    Shalom Leaf

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