Josef Burg (May 30, 1912 – August 10, 2009) was an award-winning

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Soviet

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 ...

writer, author, publisher and journalist.

Biography

Burg was born on May 30, 1912, in the town of Vyzhnytsia, in the region of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. In the years before World War I, the city of

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

, also called Czernowitz in both German and

, was the capital of the Bukovina region and a center of Yiddish language and culture. The region became part of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

following World War I. Burg published his first professional writing in the '' Chernovitser Bleter'', a Yiddish newspaper, in 1934. The Romanian government closed and banned the ''Chernovitser Bleter'' in 1938, on charges of Bolshevik propaganda. Burg survived 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but lost his entire family. He took refuge in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Burg continued to write and publish his works well into his 90s. In 1990, Burg revived the once banned ''Chernovitser Bleter'' newspaper as a monthly publication. Josef Burg died of a stroke on August 10, 2009, in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, at the age of 97.

Awards

* Segal Prize (Israel, 1992) for Yiddish writings * Honoured Worker of Culture of Ukraine (1993) * Honorary Citizen of Chernivtsi (1997) * Gold Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2002) * Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class (2007) * Theodor Kramer Prize (Austria, 2009)

Works

* 1934: ''Afn splav'' * 1939: ''Afn tshermush'' n the Czeremosz river(German: ''Auf dem Czeremosz: Erzählungen''. Boldt, 2005, ) * 1940: ''Sam'' oison(German: ''Gift: zwei Erzählungen''. Translated by Armin Eidherr. Boldt, 2005. ) * 1980: ''Dos leben geyt vayter. Dertseylungen, noveln, skitsn'' ife goes on further: Stories, novellas, sketches Sowetski Pissatel * 1983: ''Iberuf fun tsaytn.'' oll-call of the times Sowetski Pissatel * 1988: ''Ein Gesang über allen Gesängen: Erzählungen und Skizzen''. * 1990: ''A farshpetikter ekho'' late echo(German: ''Ein verspätetes Echo''. Partly bilingual. 1999. ) * 1997: ''Tsvey veltn'' wo worlds* 1997: ''Zevikelte stetshkes'' (Ukrainian original edition) * 2000: ''Irrfahrten.'' Boldt. * 2004: ''Sterne altern nicht.'' Ausgewählte Erzählungen. Boldt, * 2005: ''Dämmerung.'' Erzählungen. Boldt, * 2006: ''Mein Czernowitz.'' Boldt, * 2006: ''Begegnungen – eine Karpatenreise.'' Boldt, * 2007: ''Über jiddische Dichter.'' Erinnerungen. Boldt, * 2008: ''Ein Stück trockenes Brot.'' Ausgewählte Erzählungen. Boldt,

References

External links

New York Times: Josef Burg, Who Wrote About Jewish Life, Dies at 97

2004 interview with Josef Burg
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burg, Josef 1912 births 2009 deaths People from Vyzhnytsia People from the Duchy of Bukovina Bukovina Jews Yiddish-language novelists Yiddish-language writers Jewish Ukrainian writers Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Recipients of the Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria 20th-century Ukrainian male writers 21st-century Ukrainian male writers