SHLOYME KARTUN

SHLOYME KARTUN (February 15, 1895-May 8, 1959)

            He was born in Shavel (Šiauliai), Lithuania.  He studied in religious elementary school and in a Russian public school.  In 1912 he emigrated to South Africa.  From 1921 he was in New Zealand, before settling in 1935 in Johannesburg where he had his own publishing house.  He wrote articles, poetry, and stories.  He debuted in print with a sketch in Di yudishe fon (The Jewish banner) in Johannesburg (1913), and he contributed primarily to the local Yiddish newspapers: Der afrikaner (The African), Dos naye vort (The new word), Foroys der shtrom (Onward the current), Yidishe tribune (Jewish tribune), Di yidishe post (The Jewish mail), and Dorem-afrike (South Africa), among others.  He edited: Dorem-afrikaner zamlbukh (The South African anthology), with M. Shur and Y. M. Sherman; Unzer veg (Our path) (1919-1921); and Af afrikes erd (On Africa’s soil).  The last of these came out for several years (beginning July 1952) in a number of booklets (each 16 pp.).  All the material in it was filled out by Kartun himself.  In book form: Af di vegn fun eltn (Along the paths of loneliness) (Johannesburg: Jewish Literary Association, 1923), 38 pp.  Kartun was one of the layers of the foundations of the published Yiddish word in South Africa.  His pen names included: Ash-Kun, Shloyme, Sitets, and Shinkun.  He died in Johannesburg.

Sources: Dorem-afrikaner zamlbukh (The South African anthology) (Johannesburg, 1945), p. 142; Dorem-afrike (Johannesburg) 70 (1957).

Dovid Volpe