Itsik Manger Jewish poet who wrote in Yiddish. Date of Birth: 30.05.1901 Country: Israel

1. Biography of Itzik Manger
2. Early Life and Career
3. Manger's Literary Success
4. Life during World War II
5. Later Years and Legacy

Biography of Itzik Manger

Itzik Manger was a Jewish poet who wrote in Yiddish. He was born in 1901 in Chernivtsi, Bukovina, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. His father, a tailor, was deeply passionate about literature and called it "literatora," combining it with the word Torah.

Early Life and Career

Manger was expelled from gymnasium for his misbehavior and pranks. In 1921, he began publishing his poems in periodicals and soon after settled in Bucharest, where he collaborated with local Yiddish newspapers and occasionally gave lectures on Spanish and Romanian languages.

Manger's Literary Success

In 1927, Manger moved to Warsaw, which was experiencing a vibrant Yiddish cultural life. In 1929, his first book of poems, "Stars on the Roof," was published and received great acclaim from critics and writers. The following year, Manger was invited to become a co-founder of the Jewish PEN Club alongside Isaac Bashevis Singer and several other authors. Until 1938, Manger actively participated in Warsaw's literary scene, publishing five more books of poems and a collection of essays on Yiddish literature. He also wrote plays that were performed in Warsaw and Bucharest with considerable success, especially his popular play "Di Megile" (The Megillah).

Life during World War II

In 1938, as anti-Semitic sentiments grew in Poland, Manger left the country and initially went to Paris. He spent several years wandering due to World War II before settling in London in 1947 and obtaining British citizenship. Ten years later, he moved to New York, where his new and old works were published, and his plays were highly successful.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1967, Manger relocated to Israel, where he spent the rest of his days. He passed away in 1969 in Gadera, Israel. Many of Manger's poems were set to music and became popular songs, such as "Oyfn veg shteyt a boym" and "Dos lid fun der goldeney pave" (The Song of the Golden Peacock), among others. His musical comedy "Megile lider" with music by Israeli composer Dov Seltzer was performed multiple times in Israel, the United States, Canada, and Germany. In 1998, a successful production of this play in Dresden included the full text translated into German and sheet music for all the melodies. In 2004, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem published volume seven of "Selected Songs by Itzik Manger" in their academic series "Anthology of Yiddish Song," which included translations into Hebrew and English. Despite his fame and recognition in the Yiddish literary world, Manger's works were never officially published or acknowledged in the Soviet Union, and his songs, performed in rare Yiddish concerts, were labeled as "folk." His poems are included in the "Anthology of World Poetry" published by UNESCO in 1961.