LEYVI GOLDBERG

LEYVI GOLDBERG (August 15, 1893-December 30, 1974)

            He was born in Minsk, Byelorussia.  He studied in religious primary school, with his father who was a teacher by the name of Elyahu Gildenberg, and also in a Russian public school.  In 1909 his older brother enabled him to come to the United States.  In 1918 he published his first poems in Progres (Progress), a weekly edited by Sini Likht, and in Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor).  He later published as well in: Kundes (Prankster), Onheyb (Beginning), Feder (Pen), Kinder-zhurnal (Children’s jounal), Shikago (Chicago), Tsukunft (Future), Nay-yidish (New Yiddish), Tog (Day), Shriftn (Writings), Hemshekh (Continuation), Getseltn (Tents), Epokhe (Epoch), Literarishe heftn (Literary notebooks), and Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture), among others.  Among his books: Lider un baladn (Poems and ballads) (Vienna and New York: Heym farlag, 1923), 112 pp.; Noente, lider (Close at hand, poems) (New York: Di feder, 1948), 224 pp.; Peyres af mayn boym, lider (Fruit on my tree, poems) (New York: Feder, 1959), 149 pp.  Leyvi Goldberg’s poems were largely descriptive with a strong note of lyrical realism.  He was living in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; A. Tabatshnik, in Tsukunft (New York) (November 1932); B. Rivkin, in the jubilee volume for Feder (New York, 1945); Hemshekh antologye fun amerikaner-yidisher dikhtung (Hemshekh anthology of American Yiddish poetry) (New York, 1945), pp. 3-5; Z. Vaynper, in Yidishe kultur (March 1949); I. Talush, in Ilustrirte literarishe bleter (Buenos Aires) (May-June 1955; Juke-August 1955); Sh. Meltser, Al naharot, tisha mahazore shira misifrut yidish (By the rivers, nine cycles of poetry from Yiddish literature) (Jerusalem, 1956), p. 429; B. Y. Byalostotski, Kholem un vor, eseyen (Dream and reality, essays) (New York, 1956); Sh. Slutski, in Avrom reyzen biblyografye (Avrom Reyzen bibliography) (New York, 1956), nos. 4645, 4749, 5341; A. Pat, in Oyfsnay (New York) (October 1957).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 135.]