Der Nister
Encyclopedia
Der Nister was the penname of Pinchus Kahanovich (פנחס כהנאָוויטש), a Yiddish
author, philosopher, translator, and critic. Israel Joshua Singer
, another famous Yiddish novelist, once said of Der Nister that "had writers of the whole world been given a chance to read [his] work, they would have broken their pens.”
and Enlightenment
ideas, as well as to Zionism
. Forced to avoid the military draft to the Imperial Russian Army, he hid in Zhytomyr
, where he earned a modest living as a tutor at an orphanage for Jewish boys. Even in his earliest works, he was drawn to the arcane teachings of the Kabbalah
and to the intense use of symbols in his writings. This is reflected in the pseudonym he adopted, ‘’Der Nister" (in English, “The Hidden One”). His best-known work, Di Mishpokhe Mashber, is a more naturalistic family saga. It has been translated into English by Leonard Wolf
as The Family Mashber. David Roskies calls the depiction of the protagonist, Moyshe, "the most finely wrought portrait of a hasidic merchant in all of Yiddish literature." As in the novel, whose protagonist's brother joins the Breslover Hasidim, Pinchas's brother Aaron did the same. Der Nister himself was influenced Rebbe Nachman's Hasidic parables; though this manifests in his fiction, argues David Roskies, through a filter of Russian modernism, and authors like Andrei Bely
also influenced his work.
In 1920 he lived with Marc Chagall
in Malakhovka. In 1921, in the wake of the Russian Revolution
, Der Nister left Russia
and settled in Germany
. While living in Berlin
, he published his first two collections of stories. There, he also edited, along with David Bergelson
, several Yiddish literary journals, though they didn't last long. In 1927, he returned to the Soviet Union, where his symbol-laden work, rich in Jewish themes, was declared reactionary by the Soviet regime and its literary critics. As a result, he stopped publishing his original works and earned a living as a journalist.
During World War II
, the Soviet government briefly adopted less censorious policies over writings considered to be promoting Jewish nationalism
. Der Nister began writing again, describing the persecution and destruction of the Jewish communities in Europe under the Nazi
regime, and hinting at Soviet persecution as well, collected in his last writings, Viderverks. He was arrested in 1949 and sent to a prison camp, where he became ill and died the following year. Many of his contemporaries would later be killed in the Night of the Murdered Poets
.
Der Nister appears as one of the main characters in the novel The World to Come (2006) by Dara Horn
. The book describes Kahanovich's uneasy friendship with artist Marc Chagall
, inside whose frames he hid some of his writings. Adaptations, descriptions, and excerpts from his stories, and those of other Yiddish writers, are included. (Horn makes one fictional change: Der Nister dies almost as soon as arrested, whereas in reality he died the following year, or maybe as late as 1952 according to some sources).
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
author, philosopher, translator, and critic. Israel Joshua Singer
Israel Joshua Singer
Israel Joshua Singer was a Yiddish novelist. He was born Yisroel Yehoyshue Zinger, the son of Pinchas Mendl Zinger, a rabbi and author of rabbinic commentaries, and Basheva Zylberman...
, another famous Yiddish novelist, once said of Der Nister that "had writers of the whole world been given a chance to read [his] work, they would have broken their pens.”
Biography
Kahanovich was born in Berdychiv to a Hasidic family of merchants. He received a traditional religious education, but was drawn through his reading to secularSecularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
and Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
ideas, as well as to Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. Forced to avoid the military draft to the Imperial Russian Army, he hid in Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, where he earned a modest living as a tutor at an orphanage for Jewish boys. Even in his earliest works, he was drawn to the arcane teachings of the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and to the intense use of symbols in his writings. This is reflected in the pseudonym he adopted, ‘’Der Nister" (in English, “The Hidden One”). His best-known work, Di Mishpokhe Mashber, is a more naturalistic family saga. It has been translated into English by Leonard Wolf
Leonard Wolf
Leonard Wolf is a poet, author, teacher, and the father of Naomi Wolf. He is known for his authoritative annotated editions of classic gothic horror novels, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Phantom of the Opera, and critical works on the topic, as...
as The Family Mashber. David Roskies calls the depiction of the protagonist, Moyshe, "the most finely wrought portrait of a hasidic merchant in all of Yiddish literature." As in the novel, whose protagonist's brother joins the Breslover Hasidim, Pinchas's brother Aaron did the same. Der Nister himself was influenced Rebbe Nachman's Hasidic parables; though this manifests in his fiction, argues David Roskies, through a filter of Russian modernism, and authors like Andrei Bely
Andrei Bely
Andrei Bely was the pseudonym of Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev , a Russian novelist, poet, theorist, and literary critic. His novel Petersburg was regarded by Vladimir Nabokov as one of the four greatest novels of the 20th century.-Biography:...
also influenced his work.
In 1920 he lived with Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
in Malakhovka. In 1921, in the wake of the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, Der Nister left Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and settled in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. While living in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he published his first two collections of stories. There, he also edited, along with David Bergelson
David Bergelson
David Bergelson was a Yiddish language writer. Ukrainian-born, he lived for a time in Berlin, Germany. He moved back to the Soviet Union when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany...
, several Yiddish literary journals, though they didn't last long. In 1927, he returned to the Soviet Union, where his symbol-laden work, rich in Jewish themes, was declared reactionary by the Soviet regime and its literary critics. As a result, he stopped publishing his original works and earned a living as a journalist.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Soviet government briefly adopted less censorious policies over writings considered to be promoting Jewish nationalism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. Der Nister began writing again, describing the persecution and destruction of the Jewish communities in Europe under the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
regime, and hinting at Soviet persecution as well, collected in his last writings, Viderverks. He was arrested in 1949 and sent to a prison camp, where he became ill and died the following year. Many of his contemporaries would later be killed in the Night of the Murdered Poets
Night of the Murdered Poets
On August 12, 1952, thirteen Soviet Jews were executed in the Lubyanka Prison in Moscow, Russia as a result of charges of espionage based on forced, false confessions resulting from coercion and torture. This massacre is known as the Night of the Murdered Poets....
.
Der Nister appears as one of the main characters in the novel The World to Come (2006) by Dara Horn
Dara Horn
Dara Horn is an American novelist and professor of literature.-Education and career:Dara Horn was born in New Jersey in 1977 and received her Ph.D. in comparative literature from Harvard University in 2006. In 2007 Dara Horn was chosen by Granta magazine as one of the Best Young American...
. The book describes Kahanovich's uneasy friendship with artist Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, inside whose frames he hid some of his writings. Adaptations, descriptions, and excerpts from his stories, and those of other Yiddish writers, are included. (Horn makes one fictional change: Der Nister dies almost as soon as arrested, whereas in reality he died the following year, or maybe as late as 1952 according to some sources).
Works (selected)
- Gedankn un motivn - lider in prose ("Ideas and Motifs - Prose Poems"), Wilna, 1907
- Hecher fun der Erd ("Höher von der Erde"; "Higher than the Earth"), Warsaw, 1910
- Gesang un gebet, Kiev 1912 (collection of songs)
- Translation of selected tales from Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, 1918 - Meiselech in fersn ("Erzählungen in Versen"; "Stories in Verse"), 1918/19 (many editions: Kiev, Warsaw, Berlin)
- Gedacht ("Imagined"), Berlin, 1922/23 (collection of fantastic stories, 2 vols.)
- Fun meine giter("From My Estates"), Kiev 1929
- Hoiptstet, Moscow, 1934
- Sechs meiselech ("Six Little Tales"), 1939
- Di mischpoche Maschber, Kiev, 1939 (Vol. 1), New York, 1948 (Vol. 2)
- Khurbones ("Victims"), Moscow, 1943
- Dertseylung und eseyen ("Stories and Essays"), New York 1957 (posthumous)
- Widerwuks ("Regeneration"), Moscow, 1969 (posthumous)
External links
- Der Nister and his symbolist short stories (1913-1929): Patterns of imagination by Daniela Mantovan, Columbia University (1993)
- Der Nister in The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern EuropeThe YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern EuropeThe YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe is a two-volume, English-language reference work on the history and culture of Eastern Europe Jewry in this region, prepared by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and published by Yale University Press in 2008.The Encyclopedia, 2,400 pages in...