MORTKHE YOLIS

MORTKHE YOLIS (October 7, 1890-January 12, 1969)

            He was born in Berdichev.  He studied in religious primary school, later in the local commercial school.  From 1910 for several years, he lived in Paris, later returning to Russia.  In 1919 he left for Poland and in 1931 for Argentina.  He began writing for Russian-language newspapers, and in 1924 he switched to Yiddish.  He wrote poems, articles, and translations for: Folks-tsaytung (People’s newspaper) in Warsaw, Zalkind’s Arbayter fraynd (Workers’ friend) in London, and Der shpigl (The mirror), Shriftn (Writings), Di naye tsayt (The new times), Di prese (The press), Di idishe tsaytung (The Jewish newspaper), and translations in Davke (Necessarily) in Buenos Aires.  In book form: Af vegn fun elent (On roads from misery), poems (Buenos Aires, 1947), 24 pp.  He died in Buenos Aires.

Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 293.