Y. Y. PAYN-TVERSKI (PINE TWERSKY)

Y. Y. PAYN-TVERSKI (PINE TWERSKY) (1895-June 1944)

            He was born in Makarov (Makariv), Kiev district, Ukraine.  In 1912 he came to the United States, living initially in New York and later settling in Chicago.  He began writing in Russian and in 1913 switched to Yiddish.  He wrote poetry, stories, literary essays, and translations from American poetry (among other items, “Negro poetry” by Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes) in: Idisher kuryer (Jewish courier) in Chicago; the anthology Ineynem (Altogether) and Milers vokhnshriftn (Millers’ weekly writing) in Chicago; Di tsayt (The times), Idisher kemfer (Jewish fighter), Tsukunft (Future), Tog (Day), Di feder (The pen), Kundes (Prankster), Frayhayt (Freedom), and Yidishes tageblat (Jewish daily newspaper), and others, in New York.  He also placed work in: Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia; Kalifornyer idishe shtime (Jewish voice of California) in Los Angeles; and Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal; among others.  His books would include: Alt-nay, lider (Old-new, poems) (Chicago, 1930), 96 pp.; Arbeter un masndeklamatsyes, far shuln, kemps un dramtsirklen (Labor and mass declamations, for schools, camps, and drama circles) (New York, 1935), 32 pp.  A number of his poems are included in the anthologies Midvest-mayrev (Midwest-West) (Chicago) and in N. Mayzil’s Amerike in yidishn vort (America in the Yiddish work) (New York, 1955).  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2; Leye Mishkin, in Pinkes (Chicago, 1952), p. 93; Sh. Slutski, Avrom reyzen-biblyografye (Avrom Reyzen’s bibliography) (New York, 1956), nos. 4710, 5062.

Khayim Leyb Fuks