Jacob Michailovitch Gordin (

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

: יעקב מיכאַילאָװיטש גאָרדין; May 1, 1853 – June 11, 1909) was a Russian-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

playwright active in the early years of Yiddish theater. He is known for introducing

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

and naturalism into Yiddish theater. ''The Cambridge History of English and American Literature'' characterizes him as "the acknowledged reformer of the Yiddish stage."Jacob Gordin
" '' The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: An encyclopedia in eighteen volumes''. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1907-1921. Volume 18: Later National Literature, Part III. Chapter 31, Non-English Writings I (German, French, Yiddish), section 52. Online version by ''Bartleby.com''. At the time of his rise, professional Yiddish theater was still dominated by the spirit of the early (1886–1888) plays of its founder, Abraham Goldfaden, which derived in no small measure from

Purim play A Purim spiel (also spelled Purimshpil, yi, פּורימשפּיל, , see also spiel) or Purim play is an ensemble of festive practices for Purim. It is usually a comic dramatization of the Book of Esther, the central text and narrative that d ...

s, often spectacles more than dramas; Goldfaden's later works were generally

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s on more serious subjects, perhaps edifying, but not naturalistic. Again quoting the ''Cambridge History'', after his 1892 arrival in New York City, "Gordin took the Yiddish drama in America from the realm of the preposterous and put a living soul into it," bringing it up to the level of "realistic melodrama."

Life and career

Gordin was born in

Myrhorod Myrhorod ( uk, Ми́ргород, ) is a city in the Poltava Oblast (province) of central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Myrhorod Raion (district), the city itself is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast s ...

, Ukraine, Russian Empire, and received a liberal though irregular education at home. He was recognized as a reformer and a Russian writer. He had also been a farmer, a journalist, a shipyard worker in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, and, reportedly, an actor. He migrated to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in July 1891, and tried to make a living writing for Russian-language newspapers and the Yiddish socialist ''Arbayter Tsaytung'' (the precursor to the ''Forverts'', '' The Forward''), but his acquaintanceship with the noted Jewish actors

Jacob Adler Jacob Pavlovich Adler (Yiddish: יעקבֿ פּאַװלאָװיטש אַדלער; born Yankev P. Adler; February 12, 1855 – April 1, 1926)IMDB biography was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and ...

and

Sigmund Mogulesko Sigmund Mogulesko (16 December 1858 – 4 February 1914) — Yiddish: זעליק מאָגולעסקאָ ''Zelik Mogulesko'', first name also sometimes spelled as Zigmund, Siegmund, Zelig, or Selig, last name sometimes spelled Mogulescu &m ...

prompted him to try his hand at play-writing. His first play, ''Siberia'', was based on a true story about a man sent as a prisoner to Siberia and who escaped, lived out a normal life for many years, and was then exiled again. Although initially it met a rocky reception (as did his second play, ''Two Worlds''), it was a critical success. His third play ''The Pogrom in Russia'' was produced in January 1892 by the actor Boris Thomashefsky. In June 1892, Gordin signed a contract with Jacob Pavlovich Adler, and later that year, for Adler and his troupe, he wrote ''Der yidisher kenig lir'' ('' The Jewish King Lear''), loosely adapted from Shakespeare and the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev's ''King Lear of the Steppes'', and set in 19th century Russia. It laid the foundation of his career as a Yiddish playwright. The play drew a new audience of Russian-Jewish intellectuals to the Yiddish theater and constituted a defining moment in Adler's career as well as Gordin's. It is widely seen as ushering in the first "Golden Age" of Yiddish theater in New York. Rosenfeld, Lulla (June 12, 1977). "The Yiddish Idol." ''

New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

''. p. 42. To some extent he had to compromise his modernist vision with the theatrical conventions of the time. As in the plays of Goldfaden, Moses Horowitz (Hurvitz), and Joseph Lateiner, dancing and songs unrelated to the plot still occupied a prominent part in the play, but Gordin's plots were naturalistic and the characters were living persons. Under the influence of his plays, Jewish actors began to regard their profession as one which calls for study and an earnest attitude. Gordin is noted more for bringing naturalism and realism into the Yiddish theater than as an intrinsically great dramatist. Again quoting the ''Cambridge History'', "With all the realism of his situations, with all the genuineness of his characters, he was rather a producer of plays for a particular theatrical troupe than a writer of drama. That his comic characters generally stand in organic relation to the play is one of his chief merits. Of his many pieces (about 70 or 80) only a score or so have been published." They single out as some of his best ''Mirele Efros'', ''Got, Mentsh un Tayvl'' (''God, Man, and Devil'', based on Goethe's '' Faust''), and ''Der Umbakanter'' (''The Unknown'').

Partial list of works

Some of these plays may have earlier dates than indicated: it is possible that sources are referring to publication dates or revivals. * '' Siberia'', 1891 * ''Der pogrom in rusland'' (''The Pogrom in Russia''), 1892 * ''Tsvey veltn, oder Der groyser sotsialist'' (''Two Worlds, or The Great Socialist''). According to

B. Gorin Bernard Chaimovich Gorin (; April 13, 1868 – April 13, 1925) was a Russian-born Jewish-American Yiddish playwright, journalist, and translator. Life Gorin was born on April 13, 1868, in Lida, Vilna Governorate, the son of an observant and wel ...

, 1892; according to Z. Zylbercweig, 1896 * ''Der yidisher kenig lir'' ('' The Jewish King Lear''), 1892 * ''Der vilder mentsh'' (''The Wild Man''), 1893 * ''Captain Dreyfus; Pogrom'', 1893 * "Di litvishe brider lurie" (''The Lurie Brothers from Lithuania''), 1894 * ''Zelig itzik, der fidler'', free adaptation of

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

's ''Intrigue and Love'' (Kabal und Liebe) * "Der folks faynd" (''An Enemy of the People''), an adaptation from

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

, 1896 * ''Medea: a historishe tragedye'', adapted from Franz Grillparzer, no later than 1897 * ''

Mirele Efros ''Mirele Efros'' was an 1898 Yiddish play by Jacob Gordin. Some have called it "the Jewish Queen Lear". The title character is a powerful matriarch who becomes bitterly estranged from her own family. Lulla Rosenfeld, in her commentary to Jacob A ...

, oder di yidishe kenigin lir'' (''Mirele Efros or the Jewish Queen Lear''), 1898 * '' Di shkhite'' (''The Slaughter'' — the title refers to ritual slaughter, in accord with Kosher laws), 1899 * ''Shloime khokhem'' (''

Solomon the Wise ''Solomon the Wise'' (original Yiddish title ''Shloime Chuchem'') is a 1906 play by Jacob Gordin, based on French sources, and loosely based on actual events in 17th century France, during the reign of Louis XIII and the ascendancy of Cardinal Ric ...

'', ''Solomon Kaus''), 1899-1900 * ''Di shvue'' (''The Oath''), 1900 * ''Got, mentsh un tayvl'' (''God, Man, and Devil''), 1900 * ''Safo'' (''Sappho''), 1900 * ''Der momzer'' (''The Bastard''), a reworking of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''Lucrezia de Borgia'', 1901 * ''Di makht fun finsternish'', translation of ''The Power of Darkness'' by Leo Tolstoy 1902; Gorin lists as 1905 * ''Di Kreytser sonata'' (''The Kreutzer Sonata''), 1902 * ''Khasye di yesoyme'' (''Khasia the orphan''), 1903 * ''Der emes'' or ''Die varhayt'' (''The Truth''), 1903 * ''Ta'ares-hamishpokhe'' (''Family Purity''), 1904 * ''Di emese kraft'' (''The True Power''), 1904 * ''Tkhies-hameysim'' (''Resurrection''), adapted from the Tolstoy novel, 1904 * '' Elisha Ben Abuyah'', 1906 * ''Der unbekanter'' (''The Stranger''), 1905 * ''Der meturef'' ('' The Worthless''), 1905 * ''Der fremder'' (''The Foreigner''), 1906 * ''On a heym'' (''Homeless''), 1907 * ''Di sheyne Miryam'', no later than 1908 * ''Dementia Americana'', 1908 * ''Dovid'l meshoyrer'' (''David the Choir Singer''), 1907

Life and career

Partial list of works

Footnotes

Further reading