Peretz Hirshbein
Encyclopedia
Peretz Hirshbein was a Yiddish-language
playwright, instrumental in the revival of Yiddish theater in Russia
shortly after the 1904 lifting of the 1883 ban on theatrical performances in that language. Prior to his involvement in Yiddish theater, he wrote several plays in Hebrew
; these were published in the periodical Hazman, but there was no audience at that time for Hebrew-language theater.
Because his work focused more on mood than plot, he became known as "the Yiddish Maeterlinck
". His work—as a playwright and through his own short-lived but influential troupe—laid much of the groundwork for the second golden age of Yiddish theater that began shortly after the end of World War I
.
The dialogue of his plays is consistently vivid, terse, and naturalistic. Unusually for a Yiddish playwright, most of his works have pastoral settings: he had grown up the son of a miller, and made several attempts at farming.
The Hirshbein troupe, founded 1908 in Odessa
, Ukraine
, toured through Imperial Russia for two years, performing his own plays and those of Sholem Asch
, David Pinski
, Jacob Gordin, and Sholem Aleichem. The troupe's high literary standards and high standards of ensemble acting strongly influenced the later Vilna Troupe
and the New York
-based Yiddish Art Theater.
After his troupe broke up for financial reasons, Hirshbein travelled extensively; in 1911 alone, he visited Vienna
, Paris
, London
, and New York City
. For a while in 1912, he tried farming in New York's Catskills (later, home to the Borscht Belt
); he then returned briefly to Russia, and went from there to Argentina
for another attempt at farming, this time in a Jewish agricultural colony. At the start of World War I
he was en route to New York on a British
ship, which was sunk by a German
cruiser. He was briefly taken captive, then let off in Brazil
, from where he eventually reached New York.
His 1916 play Green Fields continues to be often anthologized and staged.
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...
playwright, instrumental in the revival of Yiddish theater in 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...
shortly after the 1904 lifting of the 1883 ban on theatrical performances in that language. Prior to his involvement in Yiddish theater, he wrote several plays in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
; these were published in the periodical Hazman, but there was no audience at that time for Hebrew-language theater.
Because his work focused more on mood than plot, he became known as "the Yiddish Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
". His work—as a playwright and through his own short-lived but influential troupe—laid much of the groundwork for the second golden age of Yiddish theater that began shortly after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The dialogue of his plays is consistently vivid, terse, and naturalistic. Unusually for a Yiddish playwright, most of his works have pastoral settings: he had grown up the son of a miller, and made several attempts at farming.
The Hirshbein troupe, founded 1908 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,...
, 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...
, toured through Imperial Russia for two years, performing his own plays and those of Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch, born Szalom Asz , also written Shalom Asch was a Polish-born American Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language.-Life and work:...
, David Pinski
David Pinski
David Pinski was a Yiddish language writer, probably best known as a playwright. At a time when Eastern Europe was only beginning to experience the industrial revolution, Pinski was the first to introduce to its stage a drama about urban Jewish workers; a dramatist of ideas, he was notable also...
, Jacob Gordin, and Sholem Aleichem. The troupe's high literary standards and high standards of ensemble acting strongly influenced the later Vilna Troupe
Vilna Troupe
The Vilna Troupe , also known as Fareyn Fun Yiddishe Dramatishe Artistn and later Dramă şi Comedie was an international and mostly Yiddish-speaking theatrical company, one of the most famous in the history of Yiddish theater...
and the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based Yiddish Art Theater.
After his troupe broke up for financial reasons, Hirshbein travelled extensively; in 1911 alone, he visited Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. For a while in 1912, he tried farming in New York's Catskills (later, home to the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
); he then returned briefly to Russia, and went from there to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for another attempt at farming, this time in a Jewish agricultural colony. At the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was en route to New York on a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ship, which was sunk by a German
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...
cruiser. He was briefly taken captive, then let off in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, from where he eventually reached New York.
His 1916 play Green Fields continues to be often anthologized and staged.
Works
Yiddish-language plays, unless otherwise noted.- Miriam (a.k.a. Downhill, 1905, in Hebrew)
- Oif Yener Zeit Taikh (On the Other Side of the River, 1906)
- Die Erd (Earth, 1907)
- Tkias Kaf (Contract, a.k.a The Agreement 1907)
- Oifn Shaidveg (Parting of the Ways, 1907)
- Die Goldene Keyt (The Golden Chain, 1908) http://www.jewish-theater.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=837
- Die Puste Kretshme (The Haunted Inn, 1912)
- A farvorfen Vinkel (A Neglected Nook or A Hidden Corner, 1912)
- Griene Felder (Green Fields, 1916)
- Dem Schmids Tekhter (The Smith's Daughters, 1918 or earlier)
- Navla or Nevila (1924 or earlier) http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Piotrkow/pit123.html, http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/lida/lid170.html
- Where Life Ends
- Joel
- The Last One
- The Infamous
- A Lima Bean
- Roite Felder (Red Fields, 1935, novel)
- Hitler's Madman (screenplay for 1943 English-language film, the American debut of director Douglas SirkDouglas SirkDouglas Sirk was a Danish-German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas in the 1950s.-Life and work:...
)