DOVID KAZANSKI

DOVID KAZANSKI (1888-October 26, 1945)

            The author of stories, he was born in Piratin (Pyriatyn), Ukraine.  He studied in religious elementary school.  In 1908 he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York.  He tried to be a businessman, a laundryman, and an agent for Tog (Day).  He debuted in print with a story in Chaim Zhitlovsky’s Dos naye lebn (The new life).  He was part of the group “Yunge” (The young ones).  He wrote for: Der inzl (The island), edited by K. Forenberg and N. M. Mayzl); and Di yudishe velt (The Jewish world) in Vilna.  He compiled the anthology Zisha landoy (Zisha Landau) (New York, 1938), 169 pp.  His books would include: Treyfene blut (Impure blood) (New York: Inzl, 1930), 261 pp.; Blinder mazl (Blind luck) (New York: Inzl, 1930), 239 pp.; In yokh (In yoke) (New York: Inzl, 1935), 242 pp.  These comprise three parts of his novel Arum un arum (Around and around).  The latter two parts of this novel—entitled Der mekhutn r’ yosele rapoport (Reb Yosele Rapoport, relative by marriage) and Der demb on yorshim (The oak without heirs)—were not published.  As Ruvn Ayzland (Iceland) noted, “With respect to program, he remained the only ‘young one.’  This was perhaps a tragedy for him, as writers usually grow out of the schools from which they hail.  And, although Kazanski emerged from our school no less than I did, he did not wish to add to it himself.  The result was a struggle between new paths, toward which he turned, and the old fences that impeded the new.”  He died in New York.

Sources: Shmuel Niger, in Tog (New York) (March 8, 1931); A. Mukdoni, in Morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 8, 1931); Talush, Yidishe shrayber (Yiddish writers) (Miami Beach, 1955), pp. 86-88; Ruvn Ayzland, Fun undzer friling (From our spring) (Miami Beach and New York, 1954), pp. 61-64, 102-3; Der Lebediker (Khayim Gutman), in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (May 16, 1954); Z. Vaynper, in Yidishe kultur (New York) (December 1956); M. Shelyubski, In yorn arum, noveln un dertseylungen (Years later, novellas and stories) (Tel Aviv, 1961); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (new York).

Dovid-Noyekh Miller