YITSKHOK DOYTSHER (ISAAC DEUTSCHER)

YITSKHOK DOYTSHER (ISAAC DEUTSCHER) (April 3, 1907-August 19, 1967)

            He was a Yiddish and English journalist, born in Cracow.  Between 1924 and 1939, he lived in Warsaw where he worked as a proofreader for the Polish Jewish newspaper Nasz Przegląd (Our review), and later he lived for a time in Paris.  He was a co-editor and contributor to Jewish-pro-Communist publications in Poland, such as Literarishe tribune (Literary tribune) in Warsaw.  He published articles in Hamer (Hammer) in New York (January 1931).  He was later a member of the Trotskyist group in Poland.  He served on the editorial boards of the English-language Economist and Observer in London, and a contributor to the journal Reporter in New York.  He was the author in English of: a three-volume biography of Trotsky, The Prophet Armed: Trotsky, 1879-1921 (London and New York, 1954), The Prophet Unarmed: Trotsky, 1921-1929 (London and New York, 1959), The Prophet Outcast: Trotsky, 1929-1940 (London and New York, 1963); Stalin, a Political Biography (London and New York, 1949); Soviet Trade Unions: Their Place in Soviet Labour Policy (London and New York, 1950); and other works.  The last of these works was translated into Hebrew by Dr. M. Oter (Te Aviv: Am Oved, 1952), 168 pp.  He translated into Yiddish a work by Floran Felz entitled Moyshe kisling (Moyshe Kisling) (Paris, 1928), 16 pp.  His work was included in in In shotn fun tliyes (In the shadow of the gallows) (Kiev-Kharkov, 1932).  He was living in London where he died.

Sources: P. Mints, Geshikhte fun der falsher iluzye (History of a false illusion) (Buenos Aires, 1954), see index; B. Fenster, in Morgn frayhayt (New York) (January 26, 1931); Dr. David Lazar, Rashim beyisrael (Leaders of Israel), vol. 2 (Tel Aviv, 1953); Y. Y. Meytlis, in Idisher kemfer (New York) (February 21, 1958); 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), col. 193.]