Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

Ulrich Kalmus


K. lived on the wharf in Odessa, Ukraine, where he had his own house. Any other biographical facts for him are unknown to me, other than one of his letters to Sholem Aleichem in 1889. He writes (our orthography):

"An old man who with the help of God without an inheritance to pass on to his children and who lives, with the help of God, no in his twilight years with a pension, I should live so long, with a good name, and somewhat in doubt, whether his critics will in their old age have such fame."

K. began is literary commitment in "Kol Mivaser1" in 1886, with a commitment to defend the poor people who are thrown into jail by the Odessa police for not having proper identification, later on with a story about a usurer when the "Kol Mivaser" passed into the hands of Zeligson. K. apparently became even more involved with the newspaper and managed to publish lighthearted articles in which he, according to Z. Reisen, was able to demonstrate with exactly such a scrimpy journalistic talent that he was able to appear in his newsletter. According to his journal, he also printed in Linietzkes "Yisroylik."

According to Zalman Reisen scant literary works appeared, which were both dramatic and literary in manner in works such as "A Seldom Circumcision" and "A Foolish Wedding" (Odessa, 1871, which reappeared in Warsaw under the name "The Story of an Unusual Circumcision"). This was presented with an anti-Hasidic treatment, distinguished through the use of a juicy, folksy Polish/Yiddish dialect and through vulgar, coarse humor, which later became so characteristic of Yiddish operetta.

K. published "The Big Chance, or, The 200,000 Ruble Winning" (theatre in four acts, printed in the newspaper supplement of the "Yiddish Folks Page" (#6-12, 1888, which was never concluded). The play in which he was laughed at by Sholem Aleichem in his pamphlet, "Shomer's Sentence," where he wrote that he, not long ago heard of a new author, a man named Ulrich Kalmus (I think that he too is from Odessa), who turned inside out one of Shomer's novels, "A Slap From His Beloved Name"), where the landlord got married with the cook because of his big winnings, but this man, Ulrich Kalmus, published it as a drama (a seldom occurrence), under the name "The Big Chance," but with such a wonderful language that he may heat up Shomer's furnace. The content itself is also very interesting, there Ulrich Kalmus only drinks coffee. It appears that Ulrich Kalmus does not hate coffee, and coffee is such a beverage that does no harm.

It appears that Sholem Aleichem knew nothing on a personal level about Ulrich Kalmus, who was by then an honorable old man, or as a writer. In such a manner Ulrich Kalmus publishes that, till then he knew nothing about Sholem Aleichem and his writings. In his open letter to Sholem Aleichem, printed in the "Jewish Folks Leaf," nos. 9-10, 1889, he wrote:

"Though I have written much about, and I continue to write till today in Yiddish (jargon), but as far as reading goes I never read Yiddish (jargon), my friend. And I recently knew nothing about your writings, nor about Shomer's work." The letter is full of scorn and allusions.

Ba'al Dimion (N. Shtiff), in a legendary treatment in "Pinkes" (Vilna, 1913, p. 343. Dr. Pine's work, "The History of Yiddish Literature" throws out the ide3a to the author as to why he had not mentioned the writers Paltiel Zamoshtin and Yehuda Lerner, but he does mention Ulrich Kalmus. In footnote no. 75, he says:

"He wrote a play, 'A Seldom Circumcision and a Foolish Wedding,' and other journals in 'Kol Mevaser,' (no. 22, 1871). Sholem Aleichem had attacked Kalmus in his brochure, 'Shomer's Sentence.' As far as I know, though I'm not certain Kalmus replied to him."
 

Sh.E. from Jacob Tikman.

  • Z. Reisen -- "Lexicon of Yiddish Literature," Vilna, 1929, Vol. 3, pp. 445-7.

  • Sholem Aleichem -- "Shomer's mishpat," Berdichev, 1888, p. 93.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 6, page 5667.

Translation courtesy of Paul Azaroff.
 

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