Jacob Dinezon, also known as Yankev Dinezon ( – 1919), was a

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

author and editor from

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

(then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

). There are various spellings of Dinezon's name in both Yiddish and English transliteration. Early in his career, Yiddish publications spelled his name דינעזאהן (Dinezohn). Later publications removed the ה and spelled his name דינעזאן or דינעזאָן (Dinezon). In English, his name has been spelled Dienesohn, Dinesen, Dineson, Dinezon, Dinesohn, Dineszohn, Dinezohn, Dynesohn, and Dynezon. Most of his career was dedicated to promoting the literary status of the Yiddish language, supporting and collaborating in the creation of early Yiddish prose, poetry, journals, and anthologies. He was part of an active group of Yiddish authors, including his colleagues and friends I. L. Peretz,

Sholem Aleichem Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (; May 13, 1916), better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem (Yiddish language, Yiddish and , also spelled in Yiddish orthography#Reform and standardization, Soviet Yiddish, ; Russian language, Russian and ), ...

, and

Mendele Mocher Sforim Mendele Mocher Sforim (, ; lit. "Mendele the book peddler"; January 2, 1836, Kapyl – December 8, 1917 .S. Odessa), born Sholem Yankev Abramovich (, ) or S. J. Abramowitch, was a Jewish author and one of the founders of modern Yiddish and Heb ...

, considered the classic writers of modern Yiddish literature. He is credited as the author of the first bestselling novel in Yiddish and the first realistic Jewish romance. During his lifetime, he wrote several novels and short stories about Jewish life in the Russian Empire with scenes from urban environments as well as from ''

shtetl or ( ; , ; Grammatical number#Overview, pl. ''shtetelekh'') is a Yiddish term for small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish populations which Eastern European Jewry, existed in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. The t ...

'' life. Dinezon was a keen observer of the social changes spreading throughout Jewish communities in his time. His stories often depicted the emotional conflicts arising from the encounter between traditional religious and social norms and the modern ideas of

Jewish Enlightenment The ''Haskalah'' (; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), often termed the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Europe and th ...

.Jewish Storyteller Press, ''Jacob Dinezon Biography'',

'

Biography

Jacob Dinezon was born in Žagarė, Nay Zhager (New Zhager) near Kovno in

. The exact year of his birth is uncertain - various bibliographical entries suggest 1856, 1852, or 1851. A newspaper article published on the occasion of his death in August 1919 (in the Yiddish newspaper Haynt - ''Today'') reports that Dinezon was 68 years old when he died, which suggests the year of his birth was 1851, and data from a census conducted in

Žagarė Žagarė (, see also #Etymology, other names) is a city located in the Joniškis district, northern Lithuania, close to the border with Latvia. It has a population of about 2,000, down from 14,000 in 1914, when it was the 7th largest city in Lith ...

seems to confirm the same date. He grew up in a relatively well-to-do household with his parents, Pessie and Benjamin, two older sisters, one younger sister, and a brother (who died in his early childhood). His father died in 1866, when Dinezon was about 12. He was then raised by his uncle in Mohilev, where he attended a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

until age 16. In addition to a traditional Jewish education, he was exposed to the new ideas of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), which encouraged Jews to become educated in secular disciplines and languages. He had the chance to study Russian, German, and disciplines such as mathematics, history, and science. In Dinezon's time,

was the everyday language of most Jewish communities in central and Eastern Europe. However, there was barely any literature available in Yiddish, as it was considered a lowly, poorly developed language unfit for literary works. Even within the Jewish community, it was often referred to as jargon (), in a demeaning manner.

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

, on the contrary, enjoyed a very high status, even though it was a language that was virtually never spoken except for religious events or occasional expressions. Starting from the late 18th century, however, the

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'' (; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), often termed the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Wester ...

movement had started promoting a revival of Hebrew, working on the development of a modern Hebrew language for the production and circulation of Jewish culture. Dinezon supported the development of the new Hebrew language, but despite his Enlightenment-oriented education, he also developed an interest in Yiddish as a medium of culture and literature. In 1868, Dinezon was employed as a Hebrew tutor in a prominent family in Mohilev named Horowitz (or Hurevitsh, according to some sourcesJacob Dinezon: Chapter four, ''Dray literarishe doyres: zikhroynes vegn Yidishe shriftshteler'' - ''Three Literary Generations: recollections of Yiddish authors'' (S. L. Tsitron),

') which gave him the opportunity to further his secular education. It was in this period that he started publishing articles in Hebrew, contributing to Hebrew newspapers as well as scientific education brochures. He eventually also became a trusted advisor, business agent, and estate manager for the Horowitz family.Dinezon, Yankev, ''The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'' (Jeremy Dauber),

' Around 1875, thanks to the Horowitz family, he was introduced to the owners of the renowned Romm publishing house, Widow and Brothers Romm Printing House, one of Europe's most prominent Yiddish and Hebrew publishing houses in the 19th and 20th centuries.Romm Family, ''The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'' (Zeev Gries, transl. Jeffrey Green),

' With the encouragement of the established Yiddish author Isaac Mayer Dick, Ayzik Meyer Dik,Dik, Ayzik Meyer, ''The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'' (Joseph Sherman),

' who had befriended Dinezon on one of his visits to Vilna, Romm agreed to publish Dinezon's novel, ''ha-Ne’ehavim veha-neimim, oder, Der shvartser yungermanṭshik'' (''The Beloved and Pleasing, or, The Dark Young Man''), which was printed in 1877. The first edition sold out quickly, and even Dinezon had difficulty obtaining a copy.''Jacob Dinezon, Memories and Scenes: Shtetl, Childhood, Writers'', trans. Tina Lunson (Raleigh, NC: Jewish Storyteller Press, 2014), pp. 184-191 The success of ''The Dark Young Man'', however, did not receive the acceptance that Dinezon desired from the members of the

world whom he had hoped to impress, because he had written the novel in Yiddish instead of Hebrew. Further, as he told the literary critic Shmuel Niger, his novel produced an outpouring of poor-quality, imitative works that embarrassed him. Dinezon wrote, “I couldn’t stop writing, but it didn’t cost me effort or mental strain not to publish the finished works.”.“Jacob Dinezon’s Letters” with commentary by S. Niger, ''Di Tsukunft (The Future)'', trans. Jane Peppler (NY: 1929), p. 620-621,

' Dinezon would not publish another literary work for several years. Dinezon's return to publishing began after he met and befriended I. L. Peretz in 1889. In that year, Dinezon's ''Even negef, oder a shtein in veg'' (''A Stumbling Block in the Road'') was released. Between 1899 and 1902, Dinezon published several stories and

feuilleton A ''feuilleton'' (; a diminutive of , the leaf of a book) was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle ...

s in the Yiddish newspaper '' Der Yid'' (''The Jew''). In 1903, he contributed several stories, holiday tales, and his novella ''Alter'' to the

newspaper ''Der Fraynd'' (''The Friend''), which called itself, “The first zhargon (jargon) newspaper in Russia”. On May 15 of that year, the Yiddish critic Bal-Makhshoves wrote a tribute to Dinezon in celebration of his 25th writer's Jubilee. A month later, Dinezon's photograph was also published in ''Der fraynd''. The year 1904 was a prolific one for Dinezon whose stories, articles, and novellas appeared in the pages of ''Der fraynd'' alongside many of the major Yiddish authors of the period, including

, I. L. Peretz,

, S. Ansky, Mordecai Spector,Spektor, Mordkhe, ''The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'' (Nathan Cohen),

'

Sholem Asch Sholem Asch (, ; 1 November 1880 – 10 July 1957), also written Shalom Ash, was a Polish Jews, Polish-Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language who settled in the United States. Life and work Asch was born Szalom Asz in ...

, D. H. Nomberg, Abraham Reyzen, and the poet Shimen Frug.Frug, Shimen Shmuel, ''The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'' (Brian Horowitz),

' Dinezon's ''Falik un zayn hoyz'' (''Falik and His House'') and ''Der krizis'' (''The Crisis'') appeared in installments. In 1906, in the aftermath of the failed 1905 Russian Revolution, Russian Revolution of January 1905, Dinezon turned down an offer from Johan Paley, editor of the New York Yiddish newspaper ''Yidishes Tageblatt'' (''Jewish Daily News''),''Yidishes Tageblatt'',

',

' to travel to America to conduct a speaking tour. In a letter that was translated into English and published in the Washington, D.C. ''The Sunday Star'', Dinezon told Paley that he could not leave

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

while it was under siege by Russian

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

and while “the dark, uncertain condition of the Jews in Russia” prevailed. He concluded by writing, “My place is here with my people, come what may.”''Evening Star'' (August 19th, 1906), Library of Congress,

' Over the next few years, Dinezon's publishing output diminished, yet he remained actively engaged in Warsaw's literary community. In 1909, in celebration of

’s 25th Jubilee as a writer, Dinezon spearheaded a committee with Dr. Gershon Levine, Abraham Podlishevsky, and Noach Pryłucki to buy back the

publishing rights A publishing contract is a legal contract between a publisher and a writer or author (or more than one), to publish original content by the writer(s) or author(s). This may involve a single written work, or a series of works. In the case of musi ...

to Sholem Aleichem’s works from various publishers for his sole use.''Guide to the Sutzkever Kaczerginski Collection, Part II: Collection of Literary and Historical Manuscripts RG 223.2'', YIVO Institute for Jewish Research,

' At a time when Sholem Aleichem was ill and struggling financially, this proved to be a valuable gift, and Sholem Aleichem expressed his gratitude in a thank you letter in which he wrote, By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, Dinezon ceased publishing altogether, although it is not clear why.''Leksikon fun der nayer Yidisher literatur'' (''Lexicon for the New Yiddish Literature''), Samuel Niger and Jacob Shatzky, editors, (NY: Congress for Jewish Culture, 1956-1981.), pp. 514-516,

' The literary critic A. Mukdoni suggests that Dinezon’s close relationship with I. L. Peretz, Peretz may have led to the demise of Dinezon’s writing career because Dinezon’s aspirations became subservient or merged with Peretz’s.A. Mukdoni, “How I. L. Peretz Wrote His Folktales,” in ''This World And The Next: Selected Writings Of I. L. Peretz'', trans. Moshe Spiegel (NY: Thomas Yoseloff, 1958), p. 352. The outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914 forced Dinezon into a new role: community benefactor. As refugees poured into Warsaw from the war zone between

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, Dinezon and I. L. Peretz helped found an orphanage and establish schools for displaced Jewish children. The final five years of Dinezon’s life were filled with sadness and loss. In 1915, his closest friend and confidant, I. L. Peretz died of a heart attack in

. A year later,

passed away in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1917,

died in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. Despite his grief, Dinezon worked tirelessly to care for Jewish children and became a vigorous advocate for the Yiddishist schools movement in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. The educator and author C. S. Kasden wrote, “He often played with the children, entering their circle, taking them by the hand, and dancing with them. He remembered the child that was sad the day before, and if today the child was lively again, it was for him truly a celebration.” Mauzoleum_Trzech_Pisarzy_2017

Dinezon died on Friday, August 29, 1919 in his home at Karmelica 29 where he was surrounded by family and several members of the Warsaw literary community. The final hours of his life, his funeral procession to the cemetery, and the gravesite service were reported in detail in Warsaw's Yiddish newspaper ''Haynt (Today)''. The Yiddish author and critic David Frishman wrote that tens of thousands of Jews from every ideology and faction lined the streets to mourn the loss of their beloved folk writer. In his

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term o ...

for his friend, S. Ansky offered these words about Dinezon's character: Honoring his last request, Dinezon was buried beside I. L. Peretz in the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street. A year later, S. An-sky was also buried in the same plot following his death on November 8, 1920. In 1925, in honor of I. L. Peretz's 10th yahrzeit (the 10th anniversary of his death), a large granite mausoleum designed by Abraham Ostrzego was erected over their graves. Poles call the monument “Mauzoleum Trzech Pisarzy” (Mausoleum of the Three Writers). In

letters inscribed near the top are the words, “Ohel Peretz” (Peretz's Tomb).Yiddishkayt, ''Dedication of the Peretz Shrine'',

'

Legacy

Upon Dinezon's death, several unpublished manuscripts were discovered in his apartment. In honor of the 10th anniversary of Dinezon's death, a collection of his stories and novels was published in book form by Ahisefer Publishing in Warsaw. These included ''Alter'', ''Even negef, oder, A shteyn in veg'' (''Stumbling Block, or, A Stone in the Road''), ''Falik in zayn hoyz'' (''Falik in His House''), ''Der krizis'' (''The Crisis''), ''ha-Ne’ehavim veha-neimim, oder, Der shvartser yungermanṭshik'' (''The Beloved and Pleasing, or, The Dark Young Man''), ''Hershele'' (''Little Hershl''), ''Yosele'' (''Little Yosl''), ''Tsvey mames'' (''Two Mothers''), and ''Zikhroynes un bilder: shtetl, kinderyorn, shrayber'' (''Memories and Scenes: Shtetl, Childhood, Writers''). As Yiddish literature continued to advance during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, Dinezon's works fell out of favor with modern Jewish literati. However, the author, critic, and photographer Alter Kacyzne defended Dinezon's contributions to Yiddish literature in an essay, “The Problem, Dinezon,” published in '' Literarishe Bleter'' (''Literary Pages'') in 1924:

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

had a detrimental effect on Dinezon's literary reputation. His vast archive was lost, and the demise of Yiddish in the aftermath further diminished his legacy. In 1956, the Yiddish literary historian Shmuel Rozshanski tried to rectify this situation by publishing ''Yaakov Dinezon: Di mame tsvishn unzere klasikers'' (''Jacob Dinezon: The Mother Among Our Classic Yiddish Writers''). However, by the beginning of the 21st century none of Dinezon's seminal works had been translated into English. This changed in 2014 when ''Memories and Scenes: Shtetl, Childhood, Writers'' was translated into English by Tina Lunson and published by Jewish Storyteller Press. Since that time, additional Dinezon books have been translated and published, including ''The Dark Young Man'' (trans. Tina Lunson, 2019), ''Yosele'' (trans. Jane Peppler, 2015), ''Hershele'' (trans. Jane Peppler, 2016), ''Alter'' (trans. Jane Peppler, 2014), and ''Falik and His House'' (trans. Mindy Liberman, 2021).

List of works

* 1877: ''Beoven avos (For the Sins of the Fathers)''. This novel was never published because it was blocked by censorship, perhaps due to pressure from the prominent family upon whom Dinezon based his novel. * 1877:
Ha-Ne’ehavim veha-ne‘imim, oder Der shvartser yunger-mantshik
'' (The Beloved and the Pleasant, or the Black Young Man)''. This was Dinezon's first great success and it is considered the first bestselling novel in Yiddish and the first Jewish realistic romance as it sold over ten thousand copies shortly after its publication, and was reprinted multiple times. * 1888:
Kreplekh zolst du esn
'' (Go Eat Kreplekh)'', a short story Dinezon wrote for

's literary almanac '' די ייִדיש פאָלק ביבליאָטעק Di Yidishe Folksbibliotek ("The Yiddish Popular Library")''. * 1889:
Even negef, oder a shtein in veg
'' (A Stumbling Block in the Path)'', a novel published soon after the beginning of Dinezon's friendship with I. L. Peretz, who encouraged him to write in Yiddish again. * 1891: ''Di yudishe bibliotek (The Jewish Library)''. This Yiddish literary journal was one of the first products of Dinezon's collaboration with Peretz. * 1891:
Hershele
', a novel first published in ''Di yudishe bibliotek'' about a poor

boy who falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy merchant's widow. * 1894-1896: ''Di yontef bletlekh (Holiday Pages)'', an irregularly published Yiddish anthology edited together with I. L. Peretz, Peretz, Mordecai Spector, and David Pinski. * 1899:
Yosele
', a novel about a mistreated

heder A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th century. L ...

boy that helped transform Jewish education at the turn of the twentieth century. * 1903:
Alter
', a novella published in a supplement to ''Der fraynd'' (''The Friend'', the first Yiddish daily newspaper published in Czarist RussiaDer Fraynd, ''Historical Jewish Press'' (Avraham Novershtern),

') about a young, orphaned teacher who, due to societal pressure, must marry in order to continue teaching the students in his deceased father's

. * 1904:
Falik un zayn hoyz
'' (Falik and His House)'', a novella published in ''Der fraynd'' (''The Friend'') about an elderly man unwilling to leave his dilapidated old house in Eastern Europe to live with his children in America. * 1905:
Der krizis: ertsehlung fun soḥrishen leben
'' (The Crisis: A Story of the Lives of Merchants)'', a novella published in ''Der fraynd'' (''The Friend'') about the changing economic conditions for businesses at the time of the

Russo-Japanese war The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. * 1909:
Di velt-geshihte: fun di eltste tkufes biz der letster tsayt
'' (World History: From Ancient Times to the Present)'', Volume 1 of a series on world history. * 1909:
Shimshn Shlomo mit zayn ferd: oder, A holem fun a gevezenem shmayser
'' (Samson Solomon and His Horses, or: A Dream of an Ex-Coachman)'', an allegorical short story about Jews under the rule of the

Czar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

.Jacob Dinezon, ''Samson Solomon and His Horses, or: A Dream of an Ex-Coachman'', transl. by Miri Koral, JewishFiction.net,

' * 1909:
Gitele’s Yonkiper
'' (Gitele's Yom Kippur)'' * 1909:
Hine: dos land
'' (China: The land)'', a geography education and outreach book. * 1909:
Indyen: dos land
'' (India: The land)'', a geography education and outreach book. * 1928-29:
Tsvey mames: roman
'' (Two Mothers: novel)'', a story about an orphaned boy who is unable to marry the young woman he loves because her mother raised him after his mother died. * 1928-29:
Zikhroynes un bilder: Shtetl, kinderyorn, shraybers
'' (Memories and Scenes: Shtetl, Childhood, Writers)'', a collection of Dinezon's early short stories.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinezon, Jacob Jewish writers Yiddish-language novelists Yiddish-language writers Yiddish-language literature 19th-century male writers from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian male writers Yiddish-language satirists Sholem Aleichem Jewish Russian writers Lithuanian Jews Haskalah 1850s births 1919 deaths Year of birth uncertain