YANKEV KREPLYAK (JACOB KLEPLIAK)

YANKEV KREPLYAK (JACOB KLEPLIAK) (1885-September 21, 1945)

            Born in Zabludove (Zabłudów), Poland, he was the author of stories and children’s tales.  He received a traditional education.  He spent time in prisons for revolutionary work.  He was known in the Jewish labor movement as “Yankele der profesor” (Yankele, the professor).  He fled from the military to Belgium, and in Antwerp he became a diamond polisher.  In 1915 he emigrated to the United States.  He began literary activity in 1911.  He contributed stories and children’s tales to: Chaim Zhitlovsky’s Dos naye leben (The new life), Warsaw’s Fraynd (Friend), and Avrom Reyzen’s Der nayer zhurnal (The new journal) in Paris; Der yudisher student (The Jewish student) in Ghent, Belgium (1912-1913); and Tog (Day), Tsukunft (Future), Forverts (Forward), Fraynd, Oyfkum (Arise), Byalistoker shtime (Voice of Bialystok), Kinder zhurnal (Children’s magazine), Kinderland (Children’s land), and Unzer vort (Our word) (Chicago), among others—all in America.  Over the years 1917-1938, he was secretary to the editorial board of Tsukunft; after Avrom Liessin’s death [in 1938] he served as editor for a short time, and co-editor (1939-1943) with Hillel Rogof and Lazar Fogelman.  With M. Yavorovski and Y. Podruzhnik, he edited the first Yiddish serial publication in Belgium, Der mayrev (The west) in Antwerp (1913), published in Copenhagen.  He also edited: Zabludover pinkes, aroysgegeben tsum finf un tsvantsig yohrigen yubileum fun zabludover ḳranken untershtitsung fareyn, nyu york, 1900-1925 (Zabłudów records, published on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Zabłudów association for support for the sick, 1900-1925) (New York, 1925), 116 pp., which is of cultural historical value.  He published one book for adults, and all the others for children: A seyder in finland (A seder in Finland) (Copenhagen: Do idishe vokhen blat, 1912), 48 pp.; Rozhinkes mit mandlen (Raisins and almonds) (New York: Maks N. Mayzil, 1920), 29 pp.; Farblondzhet, legend (Lost, legend) (New York: Matones, 1925), 70 pp.; Fun kazarme un milkhome, dertseylungen (From barracks and war, stories) (New York: Tsenter, 1927), 359 pp.; Dos grine ingel (The “green” boy) (New York: Workmen’s Circle, 1928), 24 pp., a one-act play which won first prize as a children’s play for the Workmen’s Circle schools; Toybn, dertseylung (Doves, a story) (New York: Matones, 1928), 31 pp.; Yungvarg (Youth) (New York: Matones, 1935), 190 pp.; Shvarts un vays (Black and white) (New York: Kinder-ring, Workmen’s Circle, 1939), 46 pp.; Mayses far yungvarg (Stories for youngsters) (New York, 1947), 333 pp.  His translations included: Mikhail Bakunin, Geklibene shriftn (Selected writings) (New York: Kropotkin Literature Society, 1919), 307 pp.; Eduard Bernstein, Der iker fun marksizm (Fundamentals of Marxism) (New York: Veker, 1923), 32 pp.  In the years of his work for Tsukunft, almost all of the translation work there was Kreplyak’s, among them Pavel Akselrod’s Memuarn (Memoirs).  As N. B. Minkov wrote: “Kreplyak’s literary approach: restrained, genteelly realistic; distant from the reality of living beings; fantasy, legend.  A part of his work belongs to the best writings for our young readers….  He therefore assumes a thoroughly honored corner in our literary world.”  Kreplyak’s stories about barracks and warfare, noted Shmuel Niger, are “a book that is full of life and love for everyone who are alive,…a profoundly humane book.”  His children’s tales may be found in a number of readers as well.  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 3; Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 6 (Mexico City, 1969); Hillel Rogof, in Tsukunft (New York) (July 1928); Avrom Reyzen, in Tsukunft (April 1930); Shmuel Niger, in Tog (New York) (February 2, 1936); Y. Y. Shvarts, in Tsukunft (November 1945): N. B. Minkov, in Tsukunft (October 1955); Itonut yehudit shehayta (Jewish press that was) (Tel Aviv, 1973), p. 489; Yeshurin archive, YIVO (New York).

Yekhezkl Lifshits