SHIMEN KANTS (SHIMON KANC)

SHIMEN KANTS (SHIMON KANC) (November 25, 1914-1990)

            He was born in Schönlinde (Krásná Lípa), Czechoslovakia.  He grew up in Cracow.  He studied in yeshivas and worked in a textile factory in Lodz.  He lived in the Soviet Union during WWII and afterward in Poland.  In 1936 he debuted in print with a story in Lodzer folksblat (Lodz people’s newspaper).  He published stories and articles in Kvaln (Springs) and Os (Letter) in Lodz and Foroys (Onward) in Warsaw.  After the war he edited the weekly newspaper Niderslezye (Lower Silesia) with Y. Turkov in Wrocław, and he contributed to Dos naye lebn (The new life) in Lodz-Warsaw, as well as Folks-shtime (Voice of the people) and Yidishe shriftn (Jewish writings).  From 1957 he was living in Israel.  In Tel Aviv he edited Tog-eyn, tog oys (Day in, day out) and Ilustrirte veltvokh (Illustrated world weekly).  From 1960 he served as literary editor of Letste nayes (Latest news) in Tel Aviv.  He also published in Israeli (Hebrew) periodical publications, and his work appeared in anthologies.  He edited fifteen remembrance volumes (zikher-bikher).  In book form: Andere himlen (Other heavens) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1952), 75 pp.; Dos lebn ruft (Life calls) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1952), 130 pp.; Mendl dratner, reportazh (Mendl Dratner, reportage) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1952), 52 pp.; Naye teg, noveln un reportazhn (New days, novellas and reportage pieces) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1952), 269 pp.; Koyln greber yisokher turko (Coalminer Issachar Turko) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1953), 79 pp.; Dos lebn hot mir gelernt (Life has taught me) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1954), 57 pp.; Koyekh fun os, eseyen (The power of a letter, essays) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1979), 365 pp.  Among his pseudonyms: Sh. Fyurko, K. Shimen, and A. Shimanovitsh.  Before WWII he also wrote under the name Sh. Hendler.

Sources: M. Ḥalamish, Mikan umikarov, antologya shel sipure yidish beerets yisrael (From near and from far away, anthology of stories in Yiddish in Israel) (Merḥavya, 1966), p. 50; D. Sfard, Shtudyes un skitsn (Studies and sketches) (Warsaw: Yidish bukh, 1955), pp. 154-58; Khayim Leyb Fuks, Lodzh shel mayle, dos yidishe gaystiḳe un derhoybene lodzh, 100 yor yidishe un oykh hebreishe literatur un kultur in lodzh un in di arumiḳe shtet un shtetlekh (Lodz on high, the Jewish spiritual and elevated Lodz, 100 years of Yiddish and also Hebrew literature and culture in Lodz and in the surrounding cities and towns) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1972), pp. 280-81.

Ruvn Goldberg