ZALEK KALB-BELER

ZALEK KALB-BELER (June 15, 1910-1990)

            He was born in Grodzhisk (Grodzisk), Galicia.  He was the brother of Yankev Beler.  He attended religious elementary school and public school.  In 1928 he emigrated to Antwerp.  He debuted in print with correspondence pieces to Arbeter shtime (Workers’ voice) in Paris.  Over the course of thirty years, he published novellas, stories, and humorous sketches in Naye prese (New press) in Paris.  He wrote his books in Yiddish, but they were published in book form in French.  Dozens of chapters from them appeared in Naye prese: Emigrantn (Emigrants), twenty-eight installments (1971); Hershl skarbeker dertseylt (Herschel Schaerbeeker recounts) (1972-1974); Draysik teg urloyb fun gehenem (Thirty days’ leave from hell), thirty-six installments (1973); Der nes fun di blutike hostyes (The miracle of the bloody lodgers) (1983); and the like.  He also wrote for: Brisler vokhnblat (Brussels weekly newspaper) and Lebn un sholem (Life and peace), a biweekly (for seven or eight years since 1950).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 471-72.