ARN-DOVID (AHARON-DAVID) OGUZ

ARN-DOVID (AHARON-DAVID) OGUZ (August 4, 1865-June 10, 1943)

Born in Kartuz-Bereze (Kartuz-Bereza), Grodno district.  He attended religious schools through high school, later becoming a village teacher.  In 1896 he immigrated to the United States and worked as a peddler, a glazier, and a cobbler.  He began publishing humorous stories in 1901 in the Teglekher herald (Daily herald) of D. Hermalin.  Over the course of forty years, he contributed to Varhayt (Truth) and Morgen-zhurnal (Morning journal).  He published stories, feature essays, and humorous pieces from daily life in both the old country and in the United States.  His works in book form include: Khane pesils mayne loshn (The invective of Hannah, Pessel’s daughter) (New York, 1909), 217 pp.; Oyneg yontev: yontev-mayselekh, humoreskes, felyetonen (Holiday eve: Holiday stories, humorous tales, and human-interest stories) (New York, 1921), 282 pp.; Humoristishe ertsehlungen (Humorous tales) (New York: 1911), 221 pp.; A rayze nokh erets-yisroel af der mauretanya (A voyage to the Land of Israel aboard the Mauritania) (New York, 1928), 90 pp.; Mayn rayze in tsen lender, a bukh ful mit humor (My trip to ten countries, a book full of humor) (New York, 1930), 306 pp.; Tevye khaykl shlimazl, a bukh ful mit humor (Tevye Khayl the ne’er-do-well, a book full of humor) (New York, 1920), 274 pp.; Der bal khezhbm un andere ertsehlungen (The accountant and other tales) (New York, 1920), 26 pp.; Dos groyse gevins un andere ertseylungen (The jackpot and other stories) (New York, 1920); Kitser more nevokhim, oder vos der more nevokhim lernt, oystsige fun rambam’s religion-filozofishes verk (A short Guide of the Perplexed, or what the Guide of the Perplexed teaches, excerpts from Rambam’s religio-philosophical work) (New York, 1926), 124 pp.  His translations include: Jules Verne, 20 toyznt fus untern yam (20,000 leagues under the sea) and Der geheymlisfuler inzl (Mysterious island).  He also wrote a novel for Morgen-zhurnal entitled Di fraydenker (The freethinkers).

Sources: Z. Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Morgen-zhurnal (April 17, 1935).