Inspirational Quotes by Abraham Sutzkever (Yiddish Poet)

Abraham Sutzkever (1913–2010,) also known as Avrom Sutskever, was a renowned Yiddish poet and Holocaust survivor who published more than thirty volumes of poetry and prose over the course of six decades. His works chronicle his childhood in Siberia, his life in a Jewish ghetto during World War II, and his escape to join Jewish partisans. After the Holocaust, he became a major figure in Yiddish letters in Israel and throughout the world.

Born in Smorgon, then part of the Russian Empire (now Smarhon, Belarus,) Sutzkever was raised in Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania.) Sutzkever’s early work includes the poetry collection Valdiks (1937, Wild Ones,) which showcased his vivid natural imagery and lyrical style.

During World War II, Sutzkever endured the horrors of the Vilna Ghetto, an experience that profoundly influenced his writing. Sutzkever later studied literary criticism at the University of Vilna. His poetry from this period, such as Dos Lid fun oysgehargetn folk (The Song of the Murdered Jewish People, 1943,) captures the agony and resilience of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Sutzkever played a vital role in the resistance, smuggling manuscripts and artworks out of the ghetto to preserve Jewish culture.

After the war, Sutzkever immigrated to Israel in 1947, where he continued to write and edit the Yiddish literary journal Di Goldene Keyt (The Golden Chain.) His notable works from this period include In Fayer-vogn (1952, In the Fire Wagon) and Lider fun yam-hamelekh (Poems from the Dead Sea, 1968.)

Sibir (1953; Siberia) recalls Sutzkever’s early childhood. His other poetry collections include In midber Sinai (1957; In the Sinai Desert,) Di fidlroyz (1974; The Fiddle Rose: Poems 1970–72,) and Fun alte un yunge ksav-yadn (1982; Laughter Beneath the Forest: Poems from Old and New Manuscripts.) English translations of his work include Burnt Pearls: Ghetto Poems of Abraham Sutzkever (1981,) A. Sutzkever: Selected Poetry and Prose (1991,) and Beneath the Trees (2003.)

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