Lot 356
Collection of Letters of the Literary Critic Nachman Meisel – Yiddish
Approx. a thousand letters sent by the editor and literary critic Nachman Meisel to his family members. New York and elsewhere, 1930s to 1960s. Yiddish and a little Hebrew.
Nachman Meisel (1887-1966) was an influential editor and literary critic, one of the founders of the Kultur-Lige group. In his early days he published works in Hebrew; however, in 1909 he decided to transfer to the language in which he acquired most of his renown – Yiddish. Over the following decades, he edited the journals Bicher Velt, Di Yiddishe Volt and Literarishe Bleter, managed the Kunst Farlag publishing house and was one of the founders of the group Kultur Lige. In 1936, he decided to move from Europe to the USA and on the way, made a visit of several months to Palestine. He documented his impressions from the visit in the book "Teg un Necht in Emek" (Days and Nights in the Valley; 1937). At the same time, Meisel also published dozens of critical compositions on the best contemporary Hebrew and Yiddish writers: Chaim Nachman Bialik, Y.L. Peretz, Shalom Asch and many others. Meisel managed to immigrate to Israel two years before his death and settled in the Kibbutz founded by his son – Alonim. He died in 1966.
Before us are approx. a thousand letters, most of them typewritten and some handwritten, which Meisel sent to his family members over more than thirty years. Most of the letters were sent to his son Dov and some were sent to his wife – Chyene and to his younger sister – Gittel Meisel (who was a literary critic herself).
Enclosed: A few dozen letters sent by other people.
Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition.
