Bantsion Fradkin Jewish poet, playwright, translator Country: Ukraine

Content:

1. Biography of Boris Fradkin
2. Literary Beginnings
3. Travels and Work
4. Literary Success and Censorship
5. Later Life and Recognition
6. Legacy and Rediscovery

Biography of Boris Fradkin

Early Life and Education

Boris Fradkin was born into an educated but poor family in Voronezh, Ukraine. His ancestors had worked as foresters for generations, instilling in him a deep appreciation for nature. Fradkin received a comprehensive education, mastering Hebrew, Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Russian, as well as studying Jewish, Ukrainian, and Russian literature.

Literary Beginnings

In his youth, Fradkin began writing poetry and eventually expanded into prose and plays. He was particularly fond of music, playing the violin and composing melodies for his own lyrics. The Fradkin home became a hub for artists, poets, and performers.

Travels and Work

From 1905-1907, Fradkin lived with his family in Volochynsk and Khotyn. During the Russian Civil War, they relocated to Kharkiv, where Fradkin obtained a teaching position in a Jewish school in Derbent. However, his illness forced him to return to Kharkiv in 1922.

Literary Success and Censorship

Despite the Soviet Union's suppression of Hebrew literature, Fradkin continued to write prolifically. He sent his works to the United States, Canada, and Palestine, which may have aroused suspicion from the authorities. In 1938, he was arrested and falsely accused of terrorism and espionage. He was tortured and executed by the NKVD.

Later Life and Recognition

Fradkin's rehabilitation was posthumous, with his family receiving a death certificate in 1989. His pre-revolutionary poetry collections were published in Warsaw, and his Yiddish plays were performed in Jewish theaters. In 1927, he published "Aley Asor" (On a Ten-Stringed Lyre) in Hebrew, the last Hebrew book to be published in the USSR.

Legacy and Rediscovery

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Fradkin's manuscripts were discovered by his granddaughter. In 1994, a collection of his Hebrew poems was published in Kharkiv, marking the rebirth of official Hebrew literature in the former USSR after 1927. Fradkin's literary legacy continues to inspire and connect generations of Yiddish and Hebrew speakers.

Contemporaries

Philip Larkin	Vera Inber	Bahyt Kenzheev
Vasilis Amanatidis	Uldis Krasts	Gyula Illyes