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PART TWO: SHOLEM ALEICHEM
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PART TWO Sholem Aleichem FIGURE 3 Sholem Aleichem (Rabinovitsh) kilometres 100 • Baranovltch BELORUSSIA (WHITE RUSSIA) Pripet Marshes C Z A R S T VOLHYNIA Kiev.( " .Voronkov miies 60 B d ' h FaSIO\'. \.-. L b er Itc eVe RZhIShcpe~'-"".1> U en. POLTAVA Belotserkov· ( "'~q PROVINCE '~s~ •·Boguslav \,-: Poltava "-"'\....,. '-"'.-.... '----'-" '-'"", UKRAINE '''-RUMANIA © Martin Gilbet11995 FIGURE 4 Sholem Aleichem's Russia and Ukraine 1859 1872 1873-76 1877-79 1879 1880-83 1881-82 1883 18841884 1885 1886-87 1887 TABLE 2. Chronology of Sholem Aleichem's Life Born in Pereyaslav, Poltav Province (Ukraine), on 3 March; childhood years there and in Voronkov (fictionalized as Mazepevke and Kasrilevke). Sent to Bohslov (Boguslav), Kiev Province, to live with his grandparents, after the death of his mother; soon afterward he returned to Pereyaslav, where he lived with his father and stepmother. Studied in the Russian school of Pereyaslav and graduated with distinction; gave Russian lessons there and in Rzhishchev. Worked as private tutor to Olga, daughter of Elimelech and Rachel Loyev, in Sofiovka (Zofjowka), Kiev Province. Lived in Pereyaslav and published his first Hebrew writings in Ha-tsefira. Held the position of government rabbi in Luben (lLubny, Poltav Province). Printed early Hebrew essays in Ha-melitz. Married Olga (Hodel) Loyev; 'published first Yiddish stories in the Yudishes folksblat, including his first work under the name Sholem Aleichem; moved to Sofiovka and Belotserkov (Belaya Tserkov). Raised four daughters and two sons with his wife Olga. Lived in Belotserkov and passed summer months (until 1905) in Boyarka (fictionalized as Boiberik), Kiev Province; briefly worked for the Kiev millionaire Brodsky; published Yiddish short stories, essays, letters, and poems in the Yudishes folksblat. Liv~~d in Belotserkov; inherited a fortune from his father-in-law and became active in business ventures in Kiev (fictionalized as Yehupetz). Published short fiction including Street Scenes from Berditchev (Bilder fun der Berditchever gas) in the Yudishes folksblat. Moved from Belotserkov to Kiev; published several Yiddish stories including "The Pen-Knife" ("Dos messerl"), which was favorably reviewed by Simon Dubnov in Voskhod. (continued) 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895-97 TABLE 2. (Continued) Serialized the first version of Sender Blank in the Yudishes folksblat; printed The Trial of Shomer (Shomer's mishpet); edited the first volume of The Jewish Popular Library (Di yudishe folksbibliotek ), including his "Jewish novel" Stempenyu and the first part of Abramovitsh's revised version of The Magic Ring (Dos vintshfingerl); traveled to Odessa where he met Abramovitsh and Y. H. Ravnitzky; mourned the death of his father and memorialized him in a volume of poems in prose (influenced by Turgenev). Printed the second volume of The Jewish Popular Library, which included the second part of Abramovitsh's revised version of The Magic Ring and his own novel Yosele the Nightingale (Yosele solovey). Prepared to edit the third volume of The Jewish Popular Library but was forced to abandon this plan in October, when he lost his fortune in the Kiev stock market and traveled to Odessa. Left Russia and visited Paris, Vienna, Chernovitz; returned to live in Odessa after his mother-in-law paid his debts; lost the rest of his fortune in the Odessa stock market; published in Russian. Lived in Odessa and published the first MenachemMendl letters under the title "London," in his Kol mevaser tsu der yudisher folks-bibliotek; published in Russian. Lived in Odessa, Fastov, and Kiev (where he and his family resided until 1899); was involved in business transactions at the Kiev stock exchange. Wrote a satire of the Kiev stock exchange that was confiscated by the Russian censor; wrote his first Tevye story, published in Mordechai Spektor's Hoyz-fraynd; again planned a third volume of The Jewish Popular Library, but was unable to carry out the project. Lived in Kiev; wrote little during this period in which few Yiddish journals were published; remained in Kiev and spent summers in Boyarka until 1905. (continued) 1897-98 1899 1900-09 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 TABLE 2. (Continued) Wrote Zionist essays and fiction. Published the second and third Tevye stories in The Jew (Der yud). Published his major monologues and additional Tevye stories; experienced his most creative and successful years, contributing fiction to numerous pt:riodicals and edited collections; continued the Menachem-Mendl letters. Printed a four-volume Yiddish edition of his collected works in Warsaw; translated three stories by Lev Tolstoy from Russian into Yiddish for a volume he was editing in support of victims of the Kishinev pogrom; corresponded with...