ARN FELDMAN

ARN FELDMAN (July 12, 1880-February 17, 1952)

            He was born in Pinsk, Poland.  Until age sixteen he studied in a Talmud Torah and in a Russian public school.  He was later an external student.  He served in the Russian army, and until his later departure for the United States, he worked as a private tutor.  From 1911 until his death, he lived in New York.  He worked for several years in a sweatshop.  While still a young lad, he wrote a novel Di fanatishe merder (The fanatical murderer)—in 1939 he reworked it and it was published in Keneder odler (Canadian eagle) in Montreal.  From 1914, he published stories, sketches, novellas, novels, impressions, and miniatures of sweatshop life in: Glaykhhayt (Equality), Frayhayt (Freedom), Fraye arbeter-shtime (Free voice of labor), Gerekhtikeyt (Justice), Yung-kuznye (Young smithy), Baginen (Dawn), and Tsuzamen (Together) in New York—also co-editor of the last two of these; Di idishe velt (The Jewish world) in Philadelphia; Der eybiker kuryer (The permanent courier) in Chicago; Keneder odler; and Pinsker vokh (Pinsk week); among others.  In the journal Baginen and Tsuzamen, which he helped edit, a number of subsequently well-known poets and storytellers took their first literary steps.  Feldman had a special inclination toward encouraging young talent.  In book form: Durkh teg un nekht (Through days and nights), stories (New York: Tsuzamen, 1927), 171 pp.; In fraye shoen, noṿeln un dertseylungen (In free hours, stories) (New York: Tsuzamen, 1935), 159 pp.  He also published under such pen names as Ish Sadeh [literal Hebrew translation of “Feldman” (Field Man)].

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; B. Fenster, in Morgn-frayhayt (New York) (June 19, 1939); Toyznt yor pinsk (1,000 years of Pinsk) (New York, 1951), p. 338; Keneder odler (Montreal) (February 20, 1952); Kultur un dertsiung (New York) (March 1952.

Khayim Leyb Fuks