RIVKE (RIVKA) KOPE

RIVKE (RIVKA) KOPE (January 2, 1910-1995)

            A poetess and storyteller—surnamed at birth: Kopelovitsh—she was born in Warsaw.  She received a traditional education.  She graduated from a trade school run by ORT (Association for the Promotion of Skilled Trades).  In 1931 she made her way to Paris.  She debuted in print in 1937 in the Parisian daily newspaper Naye prese (New press).  She published poetry, stories, and literary essays in: Unzer vort (Our word), Unzer kiem (Our existence), Tsukunft (Future), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Zayn (To be), the almanac Yidish (Yiddish) (New York, 1961), Dorem-afrike (South Africa), Yisroel-shtime (Voice of Israel), and the anthology Khayfe (Haifa), among other serials.  Her works include: Toy fun shtilkeyt, lider (Dew of silence, poetry) (Paris: Oyfsnay, 1951), 91 pp.; A nay lebn, dertseylungen (A new life, stories) (Paris, 1959), 153 pp.; Shtern in mayn shoyb (Stars at my window), poetry (Paris, 1961), 206 pp.; Kolirn un klangen (Colors and sounds), poetry (Paris, 1967), 58 pp.; Intim mitn bukh, mekhabrim, bikher, meynungen (Intimate with a book, authors, books, opinions), essays (Paris, 1973), 312 pp.; Simfonye in vint (Symphony in the wind) (Paris, 1978), 278 pp.; Intim mitn bukh, vol. 2 (Paris, 1983), 270 pp.; Dos broyt fun mayn bager (The bread of my desire) (Paris, 1987), 130 pp.  “Rivike Kope is an original poet,” noted Meylekh Ravitsh, and “her volume of poems Toy fun shtilkeyt…has succeeded in differentiating silence….  Silence can mute its music in all manner of tones, and Rivke Kope’s tone was and is original.”

Sources: Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (July 10, 1953); D. Volpe, in Dorem-afrike (Johannesburg) (August 1959); Avrom Shulman, in Unzer shtime (Paris) (November 4, 1961); Elye (Elias) Shulman, in Forverts (New York) (1983).

Dr. Noyekh Gris

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 476.]