RUVN GRANOVSKI (REUBEN GRANOWSKY)

RUVN GRANOVSKI (REUBEN GRANOWSKY) (1874-April 1943)

            He was born in Valegotsulovo, Kherson region, southern Russian.  He studied in religious primary school and secular subjects privately.  In 1892 he moved to Odessa.  He began to write poetry and prose, and he stood close to the contemporaneous circle of Odessan Yiddish writers: Paltiel Zamoshtshin, Ben-Ami, Menashe Margolis, and Y. Y. Linetski.  In 1895 he published a collection of humorous poems, entitled Der rikhtiker shpigl fun der hayntiker tsayt (The correct mirror for contemporary times) (Odessa, 54 pp.).  At this time he joined the revolutionary movement and published (in 1899) a pamphlet in verse, Unzere tsienistn (Our Zionists) (Odessa, 56 pp.), in which he ridiculed political Zionism and sharply attacked certain Zionist leaders.  In 1901 he published in Warsaw a second edition of his pamphlet under the title Der tsienistisher glokk oder unzere tsienistn (The Zionist bell or our Zionists), 48 pp., second edition (Petrikov, 1902).  In 1904 he emigrated to the United States.  He published satirical and lyrical poetry, sketches, and humorous pieces in such New York publications as: Der tog (The day), Der firer (The leader), Der kibetser (The joker), Der kundes (The prankster), Millers vokhnshrift (Miller’s weekly newspaper), the anthology Humor un satire (Humor and satire), and later also in Der pinkes (The record).  Among his books (in addition to those mentioned above): Bay di kvaln bilder fun saratoga springs in ferzn (At the sources, images of Saratoga Springs in verse) (New York, 1930), 16 pp.; Reverend naftoli, un andere humoresken un kalamburn (Reverend Naftoli and other humorous sketches and puns) (New York, 1930), 48 pp.; Yitskhok yoyel linetski un zayn dor: derinerungen tsu zayn hundert yorikn geburtstog (Yitskhok Yoyel Linetski and his generation, remembrances on the centenary of his birthday), with a foreword by Avrom Reyzen (New York, 1941), 128 pp.  Avrom Reyzen wrote about this: “R. Granovski’s memoirs symbolize not only an important high literary work, but also a cultural historical contribution to our modern scholarly literary research.”  He died in New York.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; A. Reyzen, Epizodn fun mayn lebn (Episodes from my life), part 2 (Vilna, 1929), pp. 151-55; A. Reyzen, foreword to R. Granovski’s memoirs, Yitskhok yoyel linetski un zayn dor (New York, 1941); Y. Riminik, “Tsu der geshikhte fun poylishn yingl” (The story of a Polish lad), Tsaytshrift (Minsk) 5 (1931); N. Y. Gotlib, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (June 5, 1942); Y. A. Rontsh, Amerike in der yidisher literatur (America in Yiddish literature) (New York, 1945); Sh. Slutski, Avrom reyzen biblyografye (Avrom Reyzen’s bibliography) (New York, 1956), nos. 4728, 5117.