EZRA KORMAN

EZRA KORMAN (July 4, 1888-October 25, 1959)

            A poet, anthologist, and translator, he was born in Kiev.  He studied in religious elementary school.  In 1906 he graduated from a business school and later attended classes as an external student.  With Nakhmen Mayzil, he founded “Kiever farlag” (Kiev publishing house).  He was a cocreator of the “Kultur-lige” (Culture league) in Kiev and Warsaw (from 1921).  In 1919 he was secretary of the Yiddish section of the “All-Ukrainian Literature Committee.”  In 1923 he lived for a short time in Berlin, before settling in Detroit in the United States.  His literary activities began in 1910 with a translation of Sh. Gorelik’s Der idisher almanakh (The Jewish almanac) in Kiev.  He published poetry, literary reviews, children’s stories, and translations in: Odessa’s daily newspapers Sholem aleykhem (Hello) and Gut-morgn (Good morning) under the pen name E. M.; Der idisher artist (The Jewish artist) in Kharkov; the anthology Oyfgang (Arise) in Kiev; Shul un lebn (School and life), Kultur (Culture), and Bikher-velt (Book world) in Warsaw; Vokh (Week) and Grininke beymelekh (Little green trees) in Vilna; Milgroym (Pomegranate) in Berlin; Di feder (The pen), Yidish (Yiddish), Oyfkum (Arise), Zayn (To be); Foroys (Onward) in Mexico City; Kiem (Existence) in Paris; and Heymish (Familiar); among others.  He co-edited: Kultur-lige (Detroit, 1925), 36 pp., with Av. Viktor; Heftn, shrift far literatur, kunst un kultur inyonim (Notebooks, a journal for literature, art, and cultural matters) (Montreal and Detroit, January 1936-January 1937); Kultur (Chicago); and Kanader vokhnblat (Canadian weekly newspaper) (Montreal).  In addition to his own anthology, his poetry appeared in: Shmuel Rozhanski’s Yidish in lid, antologye (Yiddish in poetry, anthology) (Buenos Aires, 1967); and Joseph Leftwich, The Golden Peacock (New York, 1961).  His other writings include: Shkie, lider fun elter un toyt (Sunset, poems of old age and death) (Chicago: L. M. Shteyn, 1932), 34 pp.; Tseykhns un tseyrufim, lider un poemes (Marks and treasures poetry) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1959), 231 pp.  He published the following anthologies: In fayerdike doyer, zamlung fun revolutsyonerer lirik in der nayer yidisher dikhtung (In fiery duration, a collection of revolutionary lyricism in modern Yiddish poetry) (Kiev: State Publ., 1921), 63 pp., enlarged edition entitled Brenendike brikn in der nayer yidisher dikhtung fun ukraine (Burning bridges in modern Yiddish poetry from Ukraine) (Berlin: Idisher literarisher farlag, 1923), 158 pp.; Yidishe dikhterins, antologye (Female Yiddish poets, anthology) (Chicago: L. M. Shteyn, 1928), xxxi + 390 pp.—this last anthology which includes the works of seventy women poets among the older of modern Yiddish literature is considered his most important literary achievement.  His translations and adaptations include: Der guter karlik (The good dwarf), Di malpes un der shtekhltir (The apes and the porcupine) (St. Petersburg: B. Kletskin, 1916); Heinrich Heine, Lieder (Poetry) (Kiev: Kunst ferlag, 1917), 70 pp.; Vos iz bashert—iz bashert (What’s destined—is destined) (Kiev: Kiever farlag, 1917), 11 pp.; V. Garshin, A mayse mit dray brider (A story with three brothers) and Der frosh af der rayze (A frog on a voyage) (Kiev, 1918, 1919); Herman Heijermans, Farloyrene hofenung (The lost hope) (Kiev: Kultur-lige, 1920), 128 pp., second edition (Warsaw: Der turem, 1922), 180 pp.; Lev Deitch, Yidn in der rusisher revolutsye (Jews in the Russian Revolution) (Berlin: Yiddish Literary Publishers, 1923), vol. 1 (no further volumes appear to have been published); Bernhard Kellerman, Shvednkleys erlebnis, roman (Swedish clover experiences, a novel [original: Schwedenklees Erlebnis]) (Kiev, 1925), 193 pp.; Sergei Esenin, Lider un poemes, 1895-1925 (Poetry, 1895-1925) (Detroit, 1946), 229 pp.  He died in Detroit.

With his wife Anna

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Meylekh Ravitsh, Mayn leksikon, (My lexicon), vol. 1 (Montreal, 1945); Y. Shatski, in Pinkes (New York) (1927), pp. 279-80; A. Tsyatlin, in Yidishe velt (Warsaw) 3 (1928); Shmuel Niger, in Tsukunft (New York) (November 1928); De Lebediker (Kh. Gutman), in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (New York) (August 23, 1959); Nakhmen Mayzil, Tsurikblikn un perspektivn (Retrospectives and perspectives) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1962), see index; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Berl Cohen