MATES DAYTSH (MATTES DEITCH)

MATES DAYTSH (MATTES DEITCH) (Jun 15, 1894-February 16, 1966)

            He was born in Rakitna, Ukraine.  In 1905 he and his parents left this town with the goal of emigrating to the United States.  They were delayed and lived in Lemberg for nine years.  In 1914 they reached Montreal, Canada.  In 1916 they settled in Chicago.  More recently, he became a resident of Los Angeles.  He was a cofounder of the literary groups “Yung-shikago” (Young Chicago) and “Shigalit.”  In 1916 he published his first piece, a story, in Veg (Way) in Montreal.  From that point forward, he contributed to: Shikager kuryer (Chicago courier), Rekord (Record), Di velt (The world), the anthology In nebl (In a fog) (Chicago, 1918), Yugnt (Youth), Rezonans (Resonance), Yung shikage (Young Chicago), Ineynem (Altogether), Brikn (Bridges), Vort (Word), Feder (Pen), Oyfkum (Arise), Undzer bukh (Our book), Amerikaner (American), Tageblat (Daily newspaper), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), Frayhayt (Freedom), Hamer (Hammer), Bodn (Terrain), Literarisher bleter (Literary leaves) in Warsaw, Shpigl (Mirror) in Buenos Aires, Heftn (Notebooks) in Montreal, Yidishe kultur (Jewish culture), Inzikh (Introspective), Tsukunft (Future) in New York, Kiem (Existence) in Paris, Baytrog (Contribution), Der veg (The way) in Mexico City, the anthology Hemshekh (Continuation), Getseltn (Tents), Undzer vort (Our word) in Paris, Di prese (The press) in Buenos Aires, Loshn un lebn (Language and life) in London, Tint un feder (Ink and pen) in Toronto, and others as well.  Among his books: Elyohu hanovi, a historish-dramatishe poeme geshafn far feliks mendlsons oraṭorye eliyahu (Elijah the prophet, a historical-dramatic poem composed for Felix Mendelssohn’s Elias) (Chicago, 1927), 38 pp.; Inem land fun di yankis (In the land of the Yankees), songs and poetry (Chicago, 1935), 160 pp.; Tsvishn yamen un flamen, akht poemen eybike problemen (Among seas and flames, eight poem eternal problems) (Chicago, 1941), 80 pp.; Mandelbroyt-yidish (Almond cookie Yiddish) (Los Angeles, 1952), 112 pp.; Tsum noentstn shern, yidish, gezamlte lider un poemes (To the furthest star, Yiddish, collected poems) )Tel Aviv: Peretz Publ., 1959), 358 pp.; Yankev glatshteyn (Yankev Glatshteyn) (Tel Aviv, 1963), 66 pp.; Letste lider (Last poems) (Tel Aviv: Hamenorah, 1966), 75 pp.  He edited: In shikage (In Chicago), anthology of poems (Chicago, 1922); Ineynem, bimonthly (Chicago, 1933); Brikn (Chicago, 1933-1934); Shikage (Chicago), monthly (1929); Bekher (Goblet), quarterly (Los Angeles, 1949), and other serials as well.  He died in Los Angeles.

Sources: Yankev Glatshteyn, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (1952); M. Ravitsh, in Vokhnshrift far literatur Warsaw) 13 (1933); A. Gordin, in Fraye arbeter shtime (New York) (August 28, 1953); Sh. Meltsar, Al naharot (By the rivers) (Jerusalem, 1955), p. 430; Sh. Tenenboym, in Shikager kuryer (Chicago) (August 16, 1942).

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 196.]