Tuesday 3 October 2017

MENAKHEM-MENDL MAYLES

MENAKHEM-MENDL MAYLES (b. March 11, 1867)
            He was born in Piryatin (Pyryatyn), Poltava district, Ukraine.  He attended religious elementary school and later studied Tanakh, Hebrew, and secular subjects with private tutors.  On account of his business dealings, in 1889 he traveled to Cracow, and there he met and befriended Gershom Bader; in 1893 he settled in Cracow, from whence he was deported as a Russian citizen back to Russia.  He began writing for Hamelits (The spectator) in St. Petersburg and Odessa (1885), and later published Hebrew poetry and essays in Hatsfira (The siren) in Warsaw.  In Yiddish he debuted in print with “Farn badekns” (Prior to the veiling of the bride), two scenes: “Artsi der klezmer” (Artsi the musician) and “Psakhye der reshetnik” (Psakhye the sieve-maker), in Hoyzfraynd (House friend) in Warsaw 3 (1907), pp. 29-36.  He also published short stories in Togblat (Daily newspaper) in Lemberg (1904-1906) and in other publications in Galicia.  Together with Gershom Bader, he edited the anthologies Hasharon (The plain) in Cracow—“to spread knowledge of Jewish history and Jewish philosophy”—1 and 2 (1893-1894).  In book form: Nigla avon efrayim (The iniquity of Efraim was discovered [Hosea 7:1]), historical stories (Cracow, 1891), 96 pp.; Toldot am yisrael (History of the people of Israel), fragments from Jewish history (Cracow, 1893), 64 pp.; Der groyser gevins, humoreskes un bilder (The great jackpot, humorous sketches and images) (Cracow, 1898), 64 pp.  He also published under such pen names as M. Mayles.  After 1915 there is no further information available about him.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2; following materials in the Gershom Bader archive in New York.
Khayim Leyb Fuks


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