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Zalman Shneour

ザルマン・シュネオール

Zalman Shneour

Aliases: Shneur Zalkind / Zalman Shneor / Zalman Shneur

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1887-01-01 （Shklow, Mogilev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Belarus)）
Died
1959-02-20 （New York City, United States） age 71
Nationality
Russian Empire (origin; now Belarus), Israel (from 1951)
Languages
Yiddish, Hebrew
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Odesa (youth) → Warsaw (c.1902) → Vilnius (c.1904) → Paris (1907–c.1940) → Berlin (during World War I) → New York City (1941–1951) → Israel (emigrated 1951)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Writer
Active Years
1904-1959
Nominations
Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1955

Education

University of Paris (Sorbonne)
Studied natural sciences, philosophy and literature
Period: 1907–1913（在学・ヨーロッパ巡歴含む）
Country: France
Studied natural sciences, philosophy and literature at the Sorbonne; details of degree completion unknown.
University of Berlin
Interdisciplinary (worked in a hospital during wartime)
Period: 第一次世界大戦期（在学・滞在）
Country: Germany
Stayed in Berlin during World War I, worked in a hospital and continued writing.

Awards

Bialik Prize (for Literature)
1951
Organization: Tel Aviv Municipality (Bialik Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Israel Prize (for Literature)
1955
Category: 文学
Organization: State of Israel (Israel Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature (nomination)
1955
Organization: The Nobel Prize Committee
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Vilna

1917 Epic poem

An epic poem written during World War I in Berlin that poetically reconstructs bygone Jewish life in Vilna.

memoryJewish communityloss and longing

Song of the Dnieper

1945 Poetry collection

A collection of poems themed around the Dnieper River (available in English translation).

naturenostalgiawandering
Translations
  • Song of the Dnieper (translated by Joseph Leftwich)

Restless Spirit: Selected Writings of Zalman Shneour

1963 Selected writings / short stories

A selection of Shneour's representative works in English translation, including poems and short stories.

identityloveremembrance
Translations
  • Restless Spirit: Selected Writings of Zalman Shneour (translated by Moshe Spiegel)
  • A Death: Notes of a Suicide (translated by Daniel Kennedy)

Bibliography

  • Vilna
  • Song of the Dnieper
  • Various poetry collections and short stories

Adaptations

  • Margaritkelekh (Daisies) — widely performed song

Translations of Works

  • Song of the Dnieper (translated by Joseph Leftwich, 1945)
  • Restless Spirit: Selected Writings of Zalman Shneour (translated by Moshe Spiegel, 1963)
  • A Death: Notes of a Suicide (translated by Daniel Kennedy, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical and epic poetic styleReturn to Jewish folkloric and religious motifs
Recurring Motifs
longing and memoryhome and exilelove and loss

Legacy

Recognized as a prolific poet and writer in both Yiddish and Hebrew, Shneour was an important figure in Israeli literature. He received the Bialik Prize (1951) and the Israel Prize (1955), and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955. Some of his lyrics became popular songs, influencing popular culture.

Archives

  • Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature (ITHL) archives and related collections

In Popular Culture

  • The song 'Margaritkelekh (Daisies)' is well known and has been recorded by artists such as Chava Alberstein.

Quotes

  • Tra-la-la-la — a refrain known from 'Margaritkelekh (Daisies)'
    Source: Lyrics / fragment (recorded and passed on in song performances)

Trivia

  • Born Shneur Zalkind; known as Zalman Shneour/Shneor.
  • His son Elie A. Shneour became an American neurochemist and biophysicist.
  • His daughter Renée Rebecca became a Spanish dancer known as Laura Toledo.
  • He was detained in Berlin during World War I and continued writing there.
  • He received the Bialik Prize in 1951 and the Israel Prize in 1955.