Uri Nissan Gnessin
Encyclopedia
Uri Nissan Gnessin was a Russia
n Jewish writer, generally considered a pioneer in modern Hebrew literature
.
, where his father was a rabbi
. He has left home at an early age, and moving from one yeshiva
to the other, he had struck up a life-long friendship with fellow Hebrew modernist author, Yosef Haim Brenner
, who had attended the Pochep yeshiva with him.
but returned to Russia
in 1908. Following that he had returned to Warsaw, where he died in 1913 of a heart attack.
Gnessin wrote in a unique style of prose, that had been notable for its expressionistic
language form. Many Israeli literary scholars, such as Dan Miron and Gershon Shaked have wrote of his work, especially about the short story "BaGanim" (At the Gardens).
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jewish writer, generally considered a pioneer in modern Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews...
.
Early life
He was born in StarodubStarodub
Starodub is a town and the administrative center of Starodubsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Babinets River , southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 .-History:...
, where his father was a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
. He has left home at an early age, and moving from one yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
to the other, he had struck up a life-long friendship with fellow Hebrew modernist author, Yosef Haim Brenner
Yosef Haim Brenner
Yosef Haim Brenner was a Russian-born Hebrew-language author, one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature.-Biography:Brenner was born to a poor Jewish family in Novi Mlini, Russian Empire...
, who had attended the Pochep yeshiva with him.
Later Years & Literature Career
His first published text was in 1904. In 1906 he had co-founded the Hebrew language publishing house "Nisyonot" (Attempts), and after moving to London in 1907, he had co-edited (with Brenner) Ha'Meorer, a Hebrew periodical. Following that he moved to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
but returned to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1908. Following that he had returned to Warsaw, where he died in 1913 of a heart attack.
Gnessin wrote in a unique style of prose, that had been notable for its expressionistic
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
language form. Many Israeli literary scholars, such as Dan Miron and Gershon Shaked have wrote of his work, especially about the short story "BaGanim" (At the Gardens).
Published Works
- Collected Works (two volumes), Tel-Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad and Zemorah-Bitan, 1982 [Hebrew]
- Beside & Other Stories, with an introduction by Rachel Albeck-Gidron, New Milford: Toby Press, c2005.
External links
- Biography at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature (ITHL)
- Complete collection of his works, both poetry and prose (Project Ben Yehuda) (in Hebrew)