HARRY KALMANOVITSH (1886-October 13, 1966)[1]
He was a
playwright, born in Dubrove (Dubrowo), Grodno Province. At age fifteen he came to the United
States. At sixteen he was a sweatshop
worker whom he later depicted in a major portion of his plays. In his biography he wrote: “I had the experience
of studying my brother’s work with all of its pains and joys. I observed him laughing when his soul lamented,
and I saw his weary smile which expressed [to me] a world with hidden suffering.” Many of Kalmanovitsh’s plays had scenes of success,
but in content they went down hill and their level fell off. He was among the most productive writers of
Yiddish plays. According to Zalmen
Zilbertsvayg, he was the author of some ninety plays, among them: Di eybige mame (The eternal mother), Di neshome fun a froy (The soul of a
woman), A nars gad-eydn (A fool’s
paradise), Der shpiegel fun leben
(The mirror of life), Di geshikhte fun a
libe (The story of a love), Khaves
tekhter (Eve’s daughters), Fraye libe
(Free love), Geburts kontrol (Birth
control), and Reyn fun zind (Pure of
sin). All of his plays were staged in
various Yiddish theaters around the world, but apparently not a single one was
published. Over the years 1942-1952, New
York Yiddish radio produced 2,700 of Kalmanovitrsh’s sketches entitled Mayn muter un ikh (My mother and I) and Dray doyres (Three generations). He died in New York.
Sources: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn
teater
(Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 4 (New York, 1963); Sh. Perlmuter, Dramaturgn un teater-kompozitors
(Playwriters and composers for the theater) (New York, 1952), pp. 284-95; N.
Sverdlin, in Forverts (New York)
(October 13, 1966); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).
Berl Cohen
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