LEYZER-MENDL BENJAMIN

LEYZER-MENDL BENJAMIN (1887-May 31, 1964)

            He was born in Brăila, Romania.  As a child he came with his parents to Montreal where he received his Jewish and general education.  He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris, law at McGill University, and from the latter received his law degree.  He practiced law.  From 1911 he co-edited Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal.  He wrote poetry, novellas, and literary articles largely for Canadian Jewish periodicals: Di folkstsaytung (The people’s newspaper) Royerd (Virgin soil), and Montreol (Montreal)—all in Montreal—among others.  He translated Romain Rolland’s Jean-Cristophe in eight volumes.  He died in Montreal.

Source: Kh. L. Fuks, Hundert yor yidishe un hebreishe literatur in kanade (A century of Yiddish and Hebrew literature in Canada) (Montreal, 1980).

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 98.