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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