SHLOYME (SZLOJMO) KORNBLUM

SHLOYME (SZLOJMO) KORNBLUM (1898-May 1943)

            He was a novelist, born in Povonzek (Powązki), a suburb of Warsaw.  He attended religious elementary school.  Due to economic difficulties, in 1918 he emigrated to Paris, where he learned to make leather handbags.  In late 1926 he moved back to Warsaw and worked in his profession.  He was deported from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Poniatów concentration camp, where he died.  He wrote for: Vokhnshrift far literatur (Weekly writing for literature), Arbeter tsaytung (Workers’ newspaper), and Inzer hofinung (Our hope), among others.  He wrote four novels: Gelayterte (Refined ones) (Warsaw: Sh. Yatshkovski, 1923), 246 pp.; Di froy vos mir begegenen, roman (The woman whom we met, a novel), vol. 1 (Warsaw: Hofnung, 1927), second edition (Warsaw: Unzer hofnung, n.d.), 246 pp.—earlier published in Radyo (Radio); Ri-de-belvil (Rue de Belleville) (Warsaw: Yidish universal biblyotek, 1936), 280 pp.—earlier published in Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper).  His novel Der koridor brent (The hallway is burning) was typeset in 1939, but not published because of the war—fragments appeared in Arbeter tsaytung in 1939.

Sources: Y. M. Vaysenberg, in Unzer folkstsaytung (Warsaw) (August 31, 1923); Mendl Mozes, in Poylisher yid (New York) (June 1944); Yizker-bukh fun der Zhelekhover yidisher kehile (Memorial book of the Żelichów Jewish community) (Chicago, 1954), pp. 170-79.

Ruvn Goldberg