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Edition 20 (2008) Winner
Mayer Kirshenblatt
メイヤー・キルシェンブラット
Meiyā Kirushenburatto
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1916-09-04 （Opatów）
- Died
- 2009-11-20 （Toronto） age 93
- Nationality
- Polish, Canadian
- Languages
- Yiddish, Polish, English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Opatów, Poland → Toronto, Canada
Career
- Occupations
- painter, author, paint and wallpaper store owner
- Active Years
- 1934-2009
- Nominations
- National Jewish Book Award finalist (three categories)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheder | — | Traditional Jewish education | — | — | Poland |
| Polish public school | — | — | — | — | Poland |
Cheder
Traditional Jewish education
Country:
Poland
Attended in childhood
Polish public school
Country:
Poland
Attended in childhood
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Canadian Jewish Book Award | They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust | — | Canadian Jewish Book Awards | 受賞 |
| 2008 | J. I. Segal Book Award | They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust | — | — | 受賞 |
| 2008 | American Association of University Presses award | They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust | — | American Association of University Presses | 受賞 |
Canadian Jewish Book Award
2008
Work:
They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust
Organization:
Canadian Jewish Book Awards
Result:
受賞
J. I. Segal Book Award
2008
Work:
They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust
Result:
受賞
American Association of University Presses award
2008
Work:
They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust
Organization:
American Association of University Presses
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood before the Holocaust
2007 AutobiographyPainted memories of Jewish childhood in Poland before the Holocaust, focusing on life in Opatów.
Jewish culturechildhood memoriespre-Holocaust life
Bibliography
- Kirshenblatt, Mayer and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland Before the Holocaust. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- self-taught naive artdetailed memory-based painting
- Recurring Motifs
- daily life in OpatówJewish and Christian holidayswork and chores
Legacy
Known for self-taught paintings depicting pre-Holocaust Jewish life in Opatów, started painting late in life. Co-authored book with daughter won several awards.
Museums
- Judah L. Magnes Museum USA
- The Jewish Museum (New York City) New York City, USA
- Galicia Jewish Museum Kraków, Poland
- Yiddish Book Center Amherst, USA
- Joods Historisch Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Geodesy and Cartography Museum Opatów, Poland
Trivia
- Collaborated with daughter Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett.
- Created around 300 paintings mostly depicting his childhood in Opatów.