OSHER KARTOZHINSKI

OSHER KARTOZHINSKI (February 26, 1882-July 28, 1933)

            He was born in Lyubtsh (Lubcha), Byelorussia, and raised in Rostov-on-Don.  He studied philosophy at Berne University.  In late 1914 he came to New York, where he was later called Oscar Carter.  He debuted in print in the Russian press in 1903 under the name Oskar Norvezhski.  Under this name he published his books in Russian.  He began writing in Yiddish in 1911 for Fraynd (Friend) in St. Petersburg—travel impressions, literary articles, and stories.  From time to time, he contributed to: Haynt (Today) in Warsaw; Tribune (Tribune) in Copenhagen; Varhayt (Truth), Tog (Day), Forverts (Forward), Tsukunft (Future), Fraye arbeter shtime (Free voice of labor), and Kundes (Prankster)—in New York.  In the mid-1920s he stopped writing for the Yiddish press.  He wrote the comedies: Di dray kleyne bizneslayt (The three little businessmen) and Moni biznes (Money business) which may have been the same thing as the previous one.  He translated Semyon Yushkevitsh’s play Der luftmentsh (The man with no discernible occupation) for a production by Maurice Schwartz’s Art Theater in late 1925.  He also wrote under the pen name Aleksander Zilbershtam.  He died in Los Angeles.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Avrom Reyzen, in Tsukunft (New York) (August 1930); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Berl Cohen