BEN-TSIEN (BERNARD) MIRVISH

BEN-TSIEN (BERNARD) MIRVISH

            He lived in South Africa.  He published a book in two parts, Di koved-zukher un andere geklibene shriftn (The vain person and other selected writings) (Cape Town, 1946), 254 pp.  With the title of the first part, Di koved-zukher (The vain person) comes a long sub-title: “A satire iber gaboim, komite-layt, rabonim, klekoydesh, nit gebetene bale-toyves, klal-farzorgers, artistn, shrayber, redaktorn, poetn, doktoyrim, inteligentn un stam proste khay-vekayems bale-tsdoke un hultayes—mit eyn vort: a galeray fun tipn un bilder iber shtet un shtelekh fun dorem-afrike” (A satire of synagogue trustees, committee members, rabbis, clergy, unsolicited benefactors, community welfare workers, artists, writers, editors, poets, doctors, intellectuals, simple, ordinary philanthropists and libertines—in a word: a gallery of types and images through the cities and towns of South Africa).  The second part, Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings), pp. 113-254, is comprised of articles published over the years 1932-1945 in: Idishe post (Jewish mail), Idisher ekspres (Jewish express), Afrikaner idishe tsaytung (African Jewish newspaper), Idishe likht (Jewish light), and Yeshurun—all in Johannesburg.