Leon Kusman
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Born on 1 December 1884 in
the village of Aleksanderhof, by Mitroy, Courland, where
his parents had lived part-time. His father, a grain
merchant, was a great grandson of R' Avraham, the Vilna
Gaon's brother. As a child of three, he went with his
parents over to Zager, where he learned in a cheder,
then went over to the town Krup, where he was raised by
an uncle. There he learned in a cheder and then
completed a Russian folks shul, At the age of fourteen
he again traveled over to Zager, where he became the
leader of the first open library, and there he had the
opportunity to read literature in Yiddish, Hebrew,
Russian, German and Latin. Thereof he began to write
songs.
'In 1901 he traveled with
his family to Odessa, where he was an extern. In 1905 he
studied philosophy in Bern, and in 1907 he went over to
the University of Geneva. In 1904 he debuted in "Di
yidishe tsukunft" with a song, in 1908 with "Shtrikn un
bilder" in Reisen's "Kunst un lebn," published various
translations, as well as a Hebrew story, "The Abandoned
House."
In 1911 he wandered off to
London, where he began his professional journalistic
activity as a collaborator in the local newspapers, "Der
yidisher ekspres," "Der yidisher zhurnal," editing a
humorous page, "Der blofer," and giving often
recitations about Yiddish theatre, also composed his
first play, "Der veg tsu frayhayt," a four-act drama,
which reflects this "sturm un drang |
period of 1905" in
Odessa. On 6 February 1913 the play was
performed in the "Pavilion" Theatre in London
through Morris Moskowitz (with his participation
and with the participation of Samuel Goldinburg,
the Waxmans, and the Brins), and had a great
success. The play also was later played with
great success in Paris, Switzerland and
Argentina. The same play on 24 June 1915 was
staged under the stage direction of Sam Shneyer
in New York. In 1913 K. immigrated to America,
where he became for the first time a Hebrew
teacher in New Brunswick. On 24 July 1914 under
the stage direction of Sam Shneyer there was
performed on "Kessler's Roof Garden," K.'s play
(called "Berta" by the author), "Der
leykhtzinger mentsh, oder, Libe un flikht." In
the summer of 1914 he write under the pseudonym,
"Ruah uinu nrah" -- "Bilder fun gas" in
the "Yiddishes tageblat." In 1915 he edited an
illustrated journal, "Di vokh," collaborated in
"Di varhayt," where besides theatre articles,
feuilletons, publicity articles. He also had
under the pseudonym, Leon Berzan, published
around one hundred and fifty stories and skits.
In 1918-20 he was editor for "Dos yidishe folk,"
and since then inner collaborator for the "Morgn
zhurnal" (until it stopped publishing as an
independent newspaper), where he contributed as
a publicist, storyteller and theatre critic,
editing for several years, and under the
pseudonym L. Israeli, the special theatre page.
At the same time, K. also contributed in an
entire series of Yiddish and Hebrew periodical
editions. Some of his stories were also
translated in Yiddish-English journals.
In 1922 in the
"Atlantis" Publishing House in New York, there
was published K.'s one-act comedy, "Baym preser,"
which also was performed through the "Fraye
yidishe folksbine" in New York, under the stage
direction of Jacob Fishman.
In 1926 in New York
there was published K.'s three-act drama, "Der
geler moyer," which portrayed the degeneration
of the traditional, affluent Jewish environment,
and the arrival of klasnkamf (class
struggle?) in a Litvak town in the epoch of the
Revolution. The drama was very warmly taken in
by the critics.
In 1931 in New
York's "Atlantis" Publishing House there was
published K.'s fantasy trilogy, "Narnbund."
K. also wrote the
play, "Di bank," a social play of Jewish Life in
America, and "Di teg fun moshiakh," who handled
the situation of the Jews in the war, and the
passions of salvation from the right and left,
"A nakht on a levone," a drama in three acts
(plot in America and Israel), and "Shtayndlekh
oyf an indzel," a drama in two acts, six scenes,
of American life.
In 1948 in New York,
there was published K.'s book of sonnets,
"Ezra," which treated "Vegn eynem un a dor."
In 1955, during his
residence in Tel Aviv, he published there his
book, "Amnim ubunim" (translated into Hebrew by
Shimen Meltzer), in which he went into the
theatre department, several essays about Jacob
P. Adler, David Kessler, B. Gorin, and also a
great historical overview and by rating Yiddish
theatre in America by Goldfaden to Peretz
Hirshbein.
K.'s published
plays:
(1) Baym preser
comedy in one act
by Leon Kusman
publisher "Atlantis," New York, (31 pp., 32o)
(2) L. Kusman
Der geler moyer
drama in three acts with a prologue and epilogue
1926 (New York, 128 pp., 16o)
(3) L. Kusman
Dos gezang fun der erd
(in nine scenes)Vilna--1930 (127 pp., 16o)
(4) L. Kusman
Narnbund
Fantastical trilogy
1931 (224 pp., 16o)
"Atlantis" Publishing house, New York.
Sh.E.
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Zalmen Reisen
-- "Lexicon of Yiddish Literature," Vol.
III, pp. 608-11.
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B. Gorin --
"History of Yiddish Theatre," Vol. 2, p.
273.
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B.H. -- A
nayer yidisher dramaturg, "Theater un moving
pikturs," N.Y., 28 Nov. 1913.
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T. (Z. Tigel)
-- L. kusman's naye drama "der geler toyer,"
"Der farband," N.Y., 1 March 1925, p. 16.
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A. Bukshtayn
-- L. kusman's drama "der geler toyer," "Fraye
arbayter shtime," N.Y., 17 March 1926.
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Z. Weinper --
Naye bikher in zhurnaln, "Der oyfkum," N.Y.,
June 1927.
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Y. Yungman
(Jacob Glatstein) -- "Dos gezang fun der erd,"
"Morning Journal," N.Y., 1 November 1929.
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A.H. Bialin
-- Noarn-bund, "Fraye arbayter shtime,"
N.Y., 24 July 1931.
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Sh. Erdberg
-- Tsvey naye verk oyf yidish, "Tog," N.Y.,
28 November 1931.
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Yankev
Botoshansky -- L. kusman, "Di prese," Buenos
Aires, 28 February; 14, 21 March 1934.
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"Finf un
tsvantsik yor folks-bine," New York, 1940,
148 pp.
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Dr. A.A.
Roback, "The Story of Yddish Literature,"
Boston, 1940, pp. 311, 312.
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The Universal
Jewish Federation, N.Y., Vol. p, p. 49)
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Morris Myer
-- "Yidish teater in london," London, 1942,
241 p.
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Jacob Mestel
-- "70 yor teater-repertaur," New York,
1954, pp. 39-40.
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Y. Eisenberg
-- "Amnim ubunim," "Hbukri," Tel Aviv, 3
February 1956.
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Der lebediker
-- Oyfn literarishen yorid, "Morning
Journal," N.Y., 26 February 1956.
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"El ghrut,"
Jerusalem, 1956, Leon Kusman, 438 p.
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