DOVID FELDMAN

DOVID FELDMAN

            He was a literary scholar, journalist, and translator, born in Ukraine and was principally active as a translator of Ukrainian and Russian fiction. In the 1920s, he was a member of the Yiddish writers’ group “Boy” (Construction) and editor of the journal Di royte velt (The red world) in Kharkov. In his memoirs, Fun ineveynik, zikhroynes vegn der yevsektsye (From within, memoirs of the Jewish section) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1979), Hersh Smolyar wrote: “Di royte velt was edited by the very capable, highly cultured Dovid Feldman. He made all possible efforts to concentrate around the journal Yiddish writers from various generations and styles.” He compiled and translated, together with Leyb Kvitko, Antologye fun ukayinisher proze, nokhoktyaberishe literatur, 1921-1928 (Anthology of Ukrainian prose, post-October literature, 1921-1928) (Kharkov: Ukrainian State Publishers, 1930), 468 pp. He translated: Isaac Babel, Dertseylungen (Stories) (Kharkov: Knihospilko, 1925), 97 pp.; and Mykola Khvyl'ovyi, Blove etyudn (Blue stories) (Moscow-Kharkov: Central People’s Publishers, USSR, 1927), 114 pp. According to available information, he was a victim of the purges of 1937.

Sources: A. Abtshuk, Etyudn un materialn tsu der geshikhte fun der yidisher literatur bavegung in FSRR (Studies and material for the history of the Yiddish literature movement in the Soviet Union) (Kharkov, 1934), pp. 196-200; Elye (Elias) Shulman, in Fraye arbeter-shtime (New York) (July 18, 1952); Chone Shmeruk, comp., Pirsumim yehudiim babrit-hamoatsot, 1917-1961 (Jewish publications in the Soviet Union, 1917-1961) (Jerusalem, 1961).

Yankev Kahan

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 448; and Chaim Beider, Leksikon fun yidishe shrayber in ratn-farband (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers in the Soviet Union), ed. Boris Sandler and Gennady Estraikh (New York: Congress for Jewish Culture, Inc., 2011), p. 295.]