PeretzSmolenskin was a Russian-born Zionist and Hebrew writer.
Biography
Peretz Smolenskin was born in Monastyrshchina, Mogilev Governorate, Russian Empire. His family came from Smolensk. His older brother was seized by the Czar's army and never returned. His father, falsely accused of a crime, was a fugitive for over two years and died when Peretz was eleven. At the age of 12, he left home to study at yeshiva for five years. He began reading secular books and learning Russian under the influence of the Haskalah movement. Smolenskin traveled through southern Russia and the Crimea, supporting himself by singing in choirs and preaching in synagogues. In 1862 he settled in Odessa where he studied music and languages and taught Hebrew. He published his first story in 1867. In the course of his travels through Romania, Germany and Bohemia, he acquired Turkish nationality.
Literary career
In Vienna, Smolenskin founded HaShachar, a Hebrew journal that became a literary platform for the Haskalah movement and early Jewish nationalism. He also wrote novels and short stories in Hebrew. He was stricken with tuberculosis in 1883 and died on February 1, 1885 in Merano, Italy. He completed his last novel, The Inheritance, shortly before his death. Smolenskin was a leader in the revolt of young Jews against medievalism and a strong voice for Jewish nationalism. His Hebrew periodical, The Dawn, was highly influential in these spheres. Shortly before his death he was associated with Laurence Oliphant and became deeply interested in schemes for the colonization of Palestine. Smolenskin was among the first of the Jewish nationalists to disassociate Messianic ideals from theological concomitants.
Published works
His six novels create a kaleidoscope of Jewish life in which he rejects the notion of the westernized Jew.
Hebrew
The Joy of the Goddess, Vienna, Ha-Shachar, 1872. Burial of the Ass Vienna, Ha-Shachar, 1873. Pride and Fall, Vienna, Ha-Shahar, 1874. The Reward of the Righteous, Vienna, Ha-Shahar, 1875. The Wanderer in the Paths of Life, Vienna, is the story of an orphan, Joseph, and his life in the ghetto. Ha-Shachar, 1876. The Inheritance, depicts life in Odessa and Romania. 1877-1884. Collected Works, Vilna, Katzenelbogen, 1901. One Hundred Letters, Vilna, Katzenelbogen, 1905. The Reward, Vilna, Katzenelbogen, 1910. Articles, Smolenskin Foundation, 1926. Selected Stories & Articles, Dvir, 1941.
Yiddish
The Wanderer in the Paths of Life, Warsaw, Sefer, 1927
