Jacob Dinezon | |
|---|---|
 Dinezon, late 19th century | |
| Born | c. 1851 (uncertain) Nay Zhager (New Zhager), Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | August 29, 1919 (aged 68) Warsaw, Poland |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Period | 19th century |
| Genre | Yiddish novels, short stories |
| Literary movement | Yiddish realism, Haskalah |
| Website | |
| www | |
Jacob Dinezon, also known as Yankev Dinezon (c. 1851 – 1919), was a Yiddish author and editor from Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire). There are various spellings of Dinezon's name in both Yiddish and English transliteration. Early in his career, Yiddish publications spelled his name דינעזאהן (Dinezohn). Later publications removed the ה and spelled his name דינעזאן or דינעזאָן (Dinezon). In English, his name has been spelled Dienesohn, Dinesen, Dineson, Dinezon, Dinesohn, Dineszohn, Dinezohn, Dynesohn, and Dynezon.
Most of his career was dedicated to promoting the literary status of the Yiddish language, supporting and collaborating in the creation of early Yiddish prose, poetry, journals, and anthologies. He was part of an active group of Yiddish authors, including his colleagues and friends I. L. Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, and Sholem Abramovitsh (Mendele Moykher Sforim), considered the classic writers of modern Yiddish literature.[1]
He is credited as the author of the first bestselling novel in Yiddish and the first realistic Jewish romance.[2] During his lifetime, he wrote several novels and short stories about Jewish life in the Russian Empire with scenes from urban environments as well as from shtetl life. Dinezon was a keen observer of the social changes spreading throughout Jewish communities in his time. His stories often depicted the emotional conflicts arising from the encounter between traditional religious and social norms and the modern ideas of Jewish Enlightenment.[3]
- ^ "Yiddish literature - Modern Yiddish literature". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ^ "Modern Yiddish Literature". Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- ^ Jewish Storyteller Press, Jacob Dinezon Biography, [1]