PINYE KATZ

PINYE KATZ (December 10, 1882-August 7, 1959)

            He was born in Grosulovo (now, Velyka Mykhailivka), Kherson Province.  He received a good Jewish education.  At age fifteen he worked for a sign painter in Odessa.  There he was attracted to the Social Democratic Party (Iskra).  In 1906 he fled to Argentina, where he joined the Labor Zionists and—as he recounted himself—“after the Bolshevik uprising, he became an enthusiastic follower of the Soviet regime.”  He began writing poetry, but he quickly switched to journalism of a militant ideological sort and literary historical and critical articles.  He began publishing in Broyt in ehe (Bread and honor), founded by Leon Khazanovitsh and in 1910 became its editor.  In 1913 he edited Shtrahlen (Beams [of light]) and later Far groys un kleyn (For big and small).  Over the years 1914-1917, he was a regular contributor to Di idishe tsaytung (The Jewish newspaper), and he served as editor-in-chief of Di prese (The press) in Buenos Aires (1918-1951).  He also contributed to the Buenos Aires journal Ikuf (IKUF [= Jewish Cultural Association]).  After his death, Di idishe tsaytung wrote that Katz “had done great things for the Jewish community in Argentina and more thoroughly for the published Yiddish word, but he was, unfortunately, in his last years estranged from ethnic Jewish life.”  His works include: Tsu der geshikhte fun der idisher zhurnalistik in argentine (On the history of Yiddish journalism in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1929), 204 pp.; Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings) (Buenos Aires, 1946-1947), 9 vols.—1. A rayze in mayn lebn (A voyage in my life); 2.-3. Mayn nesie inem ratn-farband (My trip in the Soviet Union); 4. Yidn in argentine (Jews in Argentina); 5. Yidishe zhurnalistik in argentine (Yiddish journalism in Argentina); 6. Kolonye un kolonizatsye (Colony and colonization); 7. Yidishe literatur in argentine (Yiddish literature in Argentina); 8. Af literarishe un kultur temes (Yiddish literary and cultural themes); 9. Khizek, kiem un hamshekh (Affirmation, existence, and continuation.  His translations into Yiddish: Federico Urales, Di fraye shule (The free school) (Buenos Aires, 1925), 30 pp.; E. Leibov, Ayziks kholem, shtrikhen fun der idisher kolonizatsye in argentine (Isaac’s dream, features of Jewish colonization in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1928), 88 pp.; H. Tsurmilen, Farvos? (Why?) (1935), 16 pp.; Horacio Quiroga, Di milkhome fun di kaimanes (The war of the alligators [original: “La guerra de los Caimanes”]) (1937), 16 pp.; Alberto Gershunov, Yidn gautshn (Jewish gauchos) (Buenos Aires, 1952), 224 pp.; Roman Kim, Der gefunener heft in suntshon (The notebook discovered at Sunchon) Buenos Aires, 1952), 182 pp.; Alfredo Varela, Der finsterer shtrom (The dark stream [original: El rio oscuro]) (Buenos Aires, 1953), 265 pp.; Tichon Semuškin, Alitet geyt avek in di berg (Alitet goes off to the mountains [original: Alitet uchodit v gory]) (Buenos Aires, 1955), 450 pp.; Howard Fast, Spartakus (Spartacus) (Buenos Aires, 1955), 327 pp.; James Aldrich, Der diplomat (The diplomat) (Buenos Aires, 1955), 46 pp.; Vera Ketlinskaia, Mut (Courage [original: Muzhestvo]) (Buenos Aires, 1956), 600 pp.; Jorge Amado, Inem malkhes fun kakao (In the realm of cocoa [original Cacao]) (Buenos Aires, 1956), 344 pp.; Emanuel Kazakevich, Dos hoyz afn shtot-plats (The house on the square [original: Dom na ploshchadi]) (Buenos Aires, 1957), 380 pp.; Arkadi Perventsev, Kotshubey (Kochubei) (Buenos Aires, 1957), 252 pp.; Benito Lynch, Di royb feygl fun la florida (The bird of prey of La Florida [original: Los Caranchos de la Florida]) (Buenos Aires, 1957), 240 pp.; Olesia Kravets, Zun-oyfgang iber khanpu (Sunrise at Hanpu [original: Zarya nad Khanpu]) (Buenos Aires, 1957), 499 pp.; Valentin Ovechkin, Vokhnteg (Days of the week) (Buenos Aires, 1958).  The crowning achievement of his translations was Don kikhot (Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes, the first full Yiddish translation (Buenos Aires: IKUF, 1950-1951), 2 vols., 494 pp. + 495 pp.  Several of Katz’s translation—such as Mikhail Sholokov’s Der shtiler don (The quiet Don [original: Tikhii Don])—were published serially in Di idishe tsaytung and Di prese.  Among his pen names: Sholem Viner, Sore Faynberg, and Khaver Pinye.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 2 (under “Kats” there); Sh. Rozhanski, Dos yidishe gedrukte vort in argentine (The published Yiddish word in Argentina) (Buenos Aires, 1941), see index; Y. Botoshanski, Mame yidish (Mother Yiddish) (Buenos Aires, 1949), see index; Z. Vaynper, Shrayber un kinstler (Writers and artists) (New York, 1958), pp. 159-68; Y. Papyernikov, Heymishe un noente, demonungen (Familiar and close at hand, remembrances) (Tel Aviv: Perets Publ., 1958), pp. 258-59; Sh. S[uskovitsh], in Davke (Buenos Aires) 39 (1959); Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Yoysef Horn