Slouschz, Nahum

Nahum Slouschz (Hebrew: נחום סלושץ) (born November 1872, Odessa, died 1969 Israel), was a Russian Hebrew litterateur, writer and translator. His 1902 doctoral thesis, "La Renaissance de la Littérature Hebraïque", was published first in French and then revised and extended for publication in Hebrew under the title "Korot ha-Sufrut ha-Ìbrit ha-Hadasha" in the Tushiyah.^[1] In 1909, an English version of the thesis, incorporating the new material and relating back to the old, was published under the title The Renascence of Hebrew Literature (1743-1885).

[edit] Biography

Slouschz was educated at the common school of his native city, and, in rabbinics, by his father. When only nineteen years of age he was sent to Palestine by the Chovevei Zion Society of Odessa, to found, if possible, a colony in the Holy Land. He was not successful and returned home. In 1896 he traveled through Austria and Lithuania, and then went to Egypt and again to Palestine.

While quite young, Slouschz had contributed to Hebrew and Russian journals. Holding Zionistic ideas, he became an ardent follower of Herzl when the latter inaugurated the Zionist movement; and branches were established by Slouschz in Odessa and other parts of southern Russia. He wrote much on the Jewish question and took part in the second congress at Basel both as delegate and as correspondent.

In 1898 he studied belles-lettres and philosophy at the University of Geneva, again showing his interest in Zionism by founding together with others the Swiss Federation of Zionists. In 1900 he went to Paris, where he studied Oriental languages. He earned a livelihood as correspondent of several papers, among which were Ha-Meliz and Ha-Zefirah. In 1902 he was appointed teacher at the normal school in Auteuil, and in 1903 he graduated as doctor of the University of Paris, his thesis being "La Renaissance de la Littérature Hebraïque" (Paris, 1903). In 1904 he became lecturer on Neo-Hebraic literature at the same university. In 1919 he settled in Palestine.

[edit] Works

Besides Slouschz's contributions to the journals, he published "Mah Ya'aseh ha-Adam we-lo Yeheteh" (Jerusalem, 1890) and "Ha-Osher me-Ayin Yimmaze " (ib. 1892), both being translations of works by Paolo Montegazza; "Massa' be-Lita" (ib. 1898); "Kobez Sippurim" (Warsaw, 1899), a translation of some of Emile Zola's novels; "Keneset ha-Gedolah" (ib. 1899); "Massa' be-Mizrayim" (ib. 1900); "Ha-Kongres ha-Ziyyoni ha-Rebi'i" (ib. 1901), on the congress of Zionists; "Emil Zola Ḥayyaw u-Sefaraw" (ib. 1901); "Ketabim Nibharim" (7 vols., ib. 1904-1905), selections from Guy de Maupassant, translated into Hebrew and including a monograph on that author by Slouschz.

[edit] Awards

In 1942, Slouschz was awarded the Bialik Prize for Jewish thought.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Renascence of Hebrew Literature (1743-1885), translated by Henrietta Szold
• Works by Nahum Slouschz at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Nahum Slouschz in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

[edit] Source

• This article incorporates material from Nahum Slouschz, an article at www.knowledgerush.com.

[edit] See also

• List of Bialik Prize recipients