Peretz (Peter) Smolenskin (; 25 February 1842 – 1 February 1885) was a Russian-born

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

writer.

Biography

Peretz Smolenskin was born in Monastyrshchina,

Mogilev Governorate The Mogilev Governorate () or Government of Mogilev was a governorate () of the Russian Empire in the territory of the present day Belarus. Its capital was in Mogilev, referred to as Mogilev-on-the-Dnieper, or Mogilev Gubernskiy. The area of the ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(in present-day

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

). His family came from

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

. 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 The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

movement. Smolenskin traveled through southern Russia and the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, supporting himself by singing in choirs and preaching in synagogues. In 1862 he settled 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 ...

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

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Smolenskin founded '' HaShachar'' (''The Dawn''), a Hebrew journal that became a literary platform for the

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 Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...

, Italy. He completed his last novel, ''The Inheritance'', shortly before his death. Smolenskin was a leader in the revolt of young Jews against

medievalism Medievalism is a system of belief and practice inspired by the Middle Ages of Europe, or by devotion to elements of that period, which have been expressed in areas such as architecture, literature, music, art, philosophy, scholarship, and variou ...

and a strong voice for Jewish nationalism. His Hebrew periodical, ''The Dawn'' (''Ha-shahar'' השחר), was highly influential in these spheres. Shortly before his death he was associated with Laurence Oliphant and became deeply interested in the establishment of a Jewish state in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. 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 literature: Romanticism
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Hebrew

''The Joy of the Goddess,'' Vienna, (Simchat Hanef) Ha-Shachar, 1872. ''Burial of the Ass'' Vienna, (''Kevurat Hamor'' קבורת חמור) Ha-Shachar, 1873. ''Pride and Fall'', Vienna, (Ga'on Va-Shever) Ha-Shahar, 1874. ''The Reward of the Righteous'', Vienna, Ha-Shahar, (Gemul Yesharim)1875. ''The Wanderer in the Paths of Life'', Vienna, (''Ha-toeh be-darkhe ha-Hayyim'', התועה בדרכי החיים) is the story of an orphan, Joseph, and his life in the ghetto. Ha-Shachar, 1876. ''The Inheritance'' (''Ha-yerushah'' הירושה), depicts life in Odessa and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. 1877–1884. ''Collected Works'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Col Sifrei Peretz Smolenskin) 1901. ''One Hundred Letters'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Meah Michtavim)1905. ''The Reward'', Vilna, Katzenelbogen, (Meah Michtavim)1910. ''Articles'', Smolenskin Foundation, (Ma'amarim) 1926. ''Selected Stories & Articles'', Dvir, (Mivhar Sipurim Ve-Ma'amarim) 1941.

Yiddish

''The Wanderer in the Paths of Life'', Warsaw, Sefer, 1927

References