Eleven paper items handwritten by poet Shaul Tchernichovsky: five drafts of tales and nursery rhymes and six letters to Joseph Klausner. St. Petersburg, Heidelberg, Grodno and elsewhere, first half of the 20th century.
1-5. Five drafts, written in large and vowelized script, of tales and nursery rhymes: • "Habat Kol Ha'achronah" – Tchernichovsky's version of the tale about Rashi's father and the precious stone. This version differs slightly from the more familiar versions of the tale (among other things, the source of the stone was changed to a temple in the jungle and the father's ruse was changed to smashing the stone on the cardinal's floor). Ending with a handwritten comment: "I heard this story from my mother, and then it did not occur to me that in the future, I will tell the story to Jewish children in the Land of Israel". • "Haznavno'ah" (The Wagtail) – a nursery rhyme about a bird from the far north (according to a comment on the margins of the draft, the name "Znavno'ah" is based on the Russian name of the wagtail. This name did not catch in Hebrew and was replaced by another – "Nachli'eli"). • "Shirei Bdichuta" – thirteen short poems with word plays. • "Bubati Cholah" (My Doll is Ill) – a nursery rhyme. • "Ha'elah VeHa'alon" (The Pistacia and the Oak) – a tale for children (presumably, one page is missing from this draft).
The name of the weekly "Davar LiYeladim", published in Palestine since 1936, was written on four of the drafts (possibly, the rhymes and tales were published in this weekly).
6-11. Six letters (five of which are written on postcards) sent by Shaul Tchernichovsky to the historian and professor of Hebrew literature Joseph Klausner, 1901-1918. The letters mainly deal with Tchernichovsky's literary work, documenting the tensions and intrigues reigning in the Hebrew literary world in those years: in a letter from 1911, Tchernichovsky protests against his mistreatment by the literary community and recalls how he just happened to hear about the celebrations of Mendele Mocher Seforim's birthday from Achad Ha'am; in a letter from 1917, Tchernichovsky begs Klausner to come to the "Conference in Petrograd" (presumably – the conference of "Agudat Chovevei HaIvrit" during which it was renamed "Tarbut") and confesses that he had sent a new translation of the Finnish epic poem Kalevala to "the publishing house of the Bialik Fund" ("Shtiebel"?); in another letter from 1918, Tchernichovsky refers to the journal "Sfateinu" and to "Zichronot Va'ad Halashon" and suggests sending a list of Hebrew mushroom names.
The letters are written in a most cordial language and their concluding lines show great affection, reflecting the rapport between the two.
The professor of Hebrew literature and historian Joseph Klausner, one of the most important intellectuals of the "Techiya" (revival) period, met Tchernichovsky at a young age and became his lifelong friend. Klausner accompanied Tchernichovsky when he took his first steps as a poet and immediately after Tchernichovsky's first book, "Chezyonot UManginot", was published, wrote a review titled "A Poet by the Grace of God" (Hebrew). Over the years, he assisted in publishing dozens of his poems (mainly in the journal he edited – "Hashilo'ach"), wrote more than twenty comprehensive articles about his works and a shortly after his death, wrote the book: "Shaul Tchernichovsky, the Man and the Poet" (Hebrew. Jerusalem, 1947).
Shaul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) – a physician, poet and translators; a pillar of Hebrew poetry. His first book of poems, "Chezyonot UManginot" (first part) was published in 1898 and was considered a milestone in Hebrew literature. Between 1899 and 1906, he studied medicine at the Heidelberg University and after returning to Russia divided his time between medicine and writing poetry. In 1931, he immigrated to Palestine. Some of the most impressive accomplishments of the "Techiya" (revival) period are attributed to Tchernichovsky and his work incorporated European traditions into modern Hebrew literature. Tchernichovsky was also a skilled translator, responsible for some of the most important Hebrew translations, including his translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Enclosed: Portrait photograph of Shaul Tchernichovsky, hand-signed by him and dated: Tel Aviv, 1935. Divided postcard back.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
Provenance: The Uzi Agassi Collection.