Olexander Beyderman
Encyclopedia
Olexander Abramovytsch Beyderman (Ukrainian
, Scientific transliteration
; also: Bejderman ; * 1949 in Odessa
) is a Soviet-Ukrainian
writer of Jewish descent. He is lecturer of Hebrew, Russian
and English
philology at the University of Odessa
.
Beyderman writes in Yiddish language
, Ukrainian and Russian
and is considered as one of the last and at the same time one of the more important Yiddish authors in the former areas of Russian Jews. His entree to Soviet literature took place with the assistance of literature functionaries of the time, though he was never an orthodox follower of the dogmas of socialist realism
and soon found his own style combining realistic language with harsh expressiveness that outreaches the simplicity of his themes. He treats the Extermination of Jews in World War II
as well as topics reminiscent of Sholem Aleichem and other earlier Jewish writers. His depictions range from subtle criticism of society to quasi-blasphemous sarcasm
. His generation is probably the last one to use Yiddish as a literary language. His texts are read in Israel
and the USA as well as in Ukraine
. The editions of his novels and plays are more numerous in Russian and Ukrainian. During the last couple of years, Ukrainian has come to play a greater role in his writings.
Beyderman was a Fellow in the Moses Mendelssohn Centre
and works for the Claims Conference
.
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, Scientific transliteration
Scientific transliteration
Scientific transliteration, variously called academic, linguistic, or scholarly transliteration, is an international system for transliteration of text from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet...
; also: Bejderman ; * 1949 in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
) is a Soviet-Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
writer of Jewish descent. He is lecturer of Hebrew, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
philology at the University of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
.
Beyderman writes in Yiddish language
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...
, Ukrainian and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and is considered as one of the last and at the same time one of the more important Yiddish authors in the former areas of Russian Jews. His entree to Soviet literature took place with the assistance of literature functionaries of the time, though he was never an orthodox follower of the dogmas of socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
and soon found his own style combining realistic language with harsh expressiveness that outreaches the simplicity of his themes. He treats the Extermination of Jews in 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...
as well as topics reminiscent of Sholem Aleichem and other earlier Jewish writers. His depictions range from subtle criticism of society to quasi-blasphemous sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
. His generation is probably the last one to use Yiddish as a literary language. His texts are read in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the USA as well as in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The editions of his novels and plays are more numerous in Russian and Ukrainian. During the last couple of years, Ukrainian has come to play a greater role in his writings.
Beyderman was a Fellow in the Moses Mendelssohn Centre
Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah is indebted...
and works for the Claims Conference
Claims Conference
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, represents world Jewry in negotiating for compensation and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs...
.