Peretz (Peter) Smolenskin (; 25 February 1842 – 1 February 1885) was a Russian-born

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

and

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 ...

writer.

Biography

Peretz Smolenskin was born in Monastyrshchina,

Mogilev Governorate Mogilev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. The governorate bordered the Vitebsk Governorate to the north, the Smolensk Governorate to the east, the Chernigov Gover ...

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 ...

(in present-day

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (), informally also called Smolenshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Smolensk. As of the 2021 Russ ...

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 ...

). His family came from

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

. His older brother was seized by the Czar's army and never returned. His father, falsely accused of a crime, was a fugitive for over two years and died when Peretz was eleven. At the age of 12, he left home to study at yeshiva for five years. He began reading secular books and learning Russian under the influence of 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. Smolenskin traveled through southern Russia and the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, supporting himself by singing in choirs and preaching in synagogues. In 1862 he settled 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 ...

where he studied music and languages and taught Hebrew. He published his first story in 1867. In the course of his travels through Romania, Germany and Bohemia, he acquired Turkish nationality.

Literary career

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Smolenskin founded '' HaShachar'' (''The Dawn''), a Hebrew journal that became a literary platform for the

movement and early Jewish nationalism. He also wrote novels and short stories in Hebrew. He was stricken with tuberculosis in 1883 and died on February 1, 1885, in

Merano Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its Spa town, spa resorts, it is located within a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to Height above mean sea ...

, Italy. He completed his last novel, ''The Inheritance'', shortly before his death. Smolenskin was a leader in the revolt of young Jews against

medievalism Medievalism is a system of belief and practice inspired by the Middle Ages of Europe, or by devotion to elements of that period, which have been expressed in areas such as architecture, literature, music, art, philosophy, scholarship, and variou ...

and a strong voice for Jewish nationalism. His Hebrew periodical, ''The Dawn'' (''Ha-shahar'' השחר), was highly influential in these spheres. Shortly before his death he was associated with Laurence Oliphant and became deeply interested in the establishment of a Jewish state in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Smolenskin was among the first of the Jewish nationalists to disassociate Messianic ideals from theological concomitants.

Published works

His six novels create a kaleidoscope of Jewish life in which he rejects the notion of the westernized Jew.Hebrew literature: Romanticism
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Hebrew

Source: ''The Joy of the Goddess,'' Vienna, (Simchat Hanef) Ha-Shachar, 1872. ''Burial of the Ass'' Vienna, (''Kevurat Hamor'' קבורת חמור) Ha-Shachar, 1873. ''Pride and Fall'', Vienna, (Ga'on Va-Shever) Ha-Shahar, 1874. ''The Reward of the Righteous'', Vienna, Ha-Shahar, (Gemul Yesharim)1875. ''The Wanderer in the Paths of Life'', Vienna, (''Ha-toeh be-darkhe ha-Hayyim'', התועה בדרכי החיים) is the story of an orphan, Joseph, and his life in the ghetto. Ha-Shachar, 1876. ''The Inheritance'' (''Ha-yerushah'' הירושה), depicts life in Odessa and

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 ...

. 1877–1884. ''Collected Works'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Col Sifrei Peretz Smolenskin) 1901. ''One Hundred Letters'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Meah Michtavim)1905. ''The Reward'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Meah Michtavim)1910. ''Articles'', Smolenskin Foundation, (Ma'amarim) 1926. ''Selected Stories & Articles'', Dvir, (Mivhar Sipurim Ve-Ma'amarim) 1941.

Yiddish

''The Wanderer in the Paths of Life'', Warsaw, Sefer, 1927

References