Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin | |
|---|---|
 Jacob Gordin, circa 1895 | |
| Born | Jacob Michailovitch Gordin 1 May 1853 |
| Died | 11 June 1909 (aged 56) |
Jacob Michailovitch Gordin (Yiddish: יעקב מיכאַילאָװיטש גאָרדין; May 1, 1853 – June 11, 1909) was a Russian-American playwright active in the early years of Yiddish theater. He is known for introducing realism and naturalism into Yiddish theater.
The Cambridge History of English and American Literature characterizes him as "the acknowledged reformer of the Yiddish stage."[1] At the time of his rise, professional Yiddish theater was still dominated by the spirit of the early (1886–1888) plays of its founder, Abraham Goldfaden, which derived in no small measure from Purim plays, often spectacles more than dramas; Goldfaden's later works were generally operettas on more serious subjects, perhaps edifying, but not naturalistic. Again quoting the Cambridge History, after his 1892 arrival in New York City, "Gordin took the Yiddish drama in America from the realm of the preposterous and put a living soul into it," bringing it up to the level of "realistic melodrama."[1]
- ^ a b "Jacob Gordin." The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: An encyclopedia in eighteen volumes. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1907-1921. Volume 18: Later National Literature, Part III. Chapter 31, Non-English Writings I (German, French, Yiddish), section 52. Online version by Bartleby.com.