Jacob Faller
(Yakov Felnhendler)
|
 |
|
Born on 15 April 1885 in
Lukow, Siedlce Gubernia, Poland, to rich, Chasidic
parents. He learned Talmud and puskim, Hebrew,
Russian, Polish and German, and he also played several
instruments and compositions.
At the age of twelve, he
wrote personally a Hebrew play, "Esther", a study
supporting the feasibility of Esther and Haman. Later he
also wrote songs in Hebrew and Yiddish and took up
copying and enlarging photographs, as well as with
commerce in crops.
1906 -- immigrated to
London, and from there to America, where he studied in
Columbia University and attended courses in dramatic
technique and classical drama.
Under the pseudonym of "Ben-Dov",
F. printed articles, and under the pseudonym "Y.
Bergson" -- sketches and stories in the local periodic
Yiddish press. Through a close relationship with the
actress Dinah Feinman, he came into contact with Yiddish
theatre and took to writing for the stage in Yiddish and
English.
On 23 November 1921 in the
Lipzin Theatre, there was staged by Gustave Schacht,
F.'s play, "Der eybiker plonter" with Jenny Valier as
"Lulu".
In June 1925, in the Grand
Theatre, there was staged his one-acter, "Oyf tsu
morgens". |
|
During his visit to
Warsaw in 1922, F. there published his play, "Der
shlikh" (with a congratulatory letter from Rudolf
Schildkraut).
F.'s non-staged plays in
Yiddish were: "Freie libe (a drama in four acts),
"Di antlofene" (a drama in four acts), "Der prush"
(a romantic play), "Shotns", "Halbe nakht", "Loynt
es zikh?", "Der kranker mentsh", "Der yom tov" (a
comedy in three acts), "Dos ummeglekhe" (a satire of
the Yiddish musical comedies), "Tserisene neshamus",
"Di makht fun gezets", and the one-acters, "Der
shabes goy", "Tsu meyene shunims kep", "An a nomen".
In English, F. published
seventeen plays and one-acters. Of these, there was
staged: "Black and White" (11 December 1919 in
Dyukeyn[sp] Theatre in Pittsburgh), "Miht the wife"
(November 1921 in the Shubert Theatre in Plainfield,
New Jersey), "How Hits" (June 1922 in the Belasco
Theatre in Washington, D.C.), and "?" (February 1925
in the Cort Theatre in New York).
According to his
profession -- an agent of an insurance company.
F.'s printed plays were:
Y. Feller
Der shlikh
comedy-drama
in four acts
Warsaw [1922, 113 pp., 16°]
Sh. E.
-
Zalmen Reyzen --
"Lexicon of Yiddish Literature", Vol. III, pp.
10-11.
-
Aksel -- "Der
eybiger plonter", "Freie arbeiter shtime", N.
Y., 2 December 1921.
-
L. S. Bieli -- Di
tsvey neye piesn, "Yid. Tagenblat", N. Y., 2
December 1921.
|
|