YANKEV GLANTS (JACOB GLANTZ)

YANKEV GLANTS (JACOB GLANTZ) (1902-January 2, 1982)

            He was born in the Jewish colony of Novovitebsk, near Kherson, Ukraine.  He received a Jewish and a general education.  For a time he worked as a teacher of Yiddish and Yiddish literature in the ORT (Association for the Promotion of Skilled Trades) school in Odessa.  From 1925 he was living in Mexico City, where he was worked at various trades and in business.  He was also an active leader in the schools.  He began writing poetry in Russian in 1917, and in Yiddish in 1927 he published in the collection Far baginen (Before dawn) in Mexico City.  Together with Yitskhok Berliner and Moyshe Glikovski, in 1928 he published the collection Dray vegn (Three ways).  His poems, literary essays, and current events articles appeared in Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves) in Warsaw, Tsukunft (Future) and Zamlbikher (Anthologies) in New York, Di goldene keyt (The golden chain) in Tel Aviv, Kiem (Survival) in Paris, and other magazines.  He was a contributor to the first Yiddish newspaper in Mexico, Di tsayt (The times).  Over the years 1936-1946, he served as editor of the literary supplement to Der veg (The way) in Mexico City, in which he published essays concerned with Yiddish literature.  Among his books: Poemes (Poems) (Mexico City, 1931), 99 pp.; Fonen un blut, shpanye 1936, lider un poemen (Banners and blood, Spain 1936, songs and poems) (Mexico City, 1936), 69 pp.; Trit in di berg, lider un poems, 1926-1936 (Pathways in the mountains, songs and poems, 1926-1936) (Mexico City, 1939), 292 pp.; H. leyvik in stil fun der epokhe, esey (H. Leivick, in the style of the era, an essay) (Mexico City, 1943), 98 pp.; A kezayes erd, epishe poeme (An olive-size piece of land, an epic poem) (Mexico City, 1950), 141 pp.; Fun ale navenad, gezamlte liter (From all the wandering, collected poetry) (Mexico City: Karmel-ort, 1974), 245 pp.; Kristobal kolon, poeme (Christopher Columbus, a poem) (Tel Aviv, 1980), 288 pp.  He edited: Baytrog (Contribution), “Mexican works on literature, art, criticism, and social issues” (Mexico City, 1936); and Meksikaner bleter (Mexican leaves), “for literature and issues of the day” (Mexico, 1949).  He died in Mexico City.

Zygmunt Turkow with Yankev Glants (right)

Sources: Alef Kats, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (August 22, 1940); Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York), nos. 890 and 895 (1951); Y. Berliner, in Der veg (Mexico City) (May 16, 1953); Y. Vinyetski, in Der veg (May 16, 1953; March 1-6, 1958); Enciclopedia Judaica Castellana (Mexico City, 1949), p. 77; Who’s Who in World Jewry (New York, 1955).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), cols. 160-61.]