Tunkel, Joseph

Born in Bobruisk in the family of a poor teacher, melamad. From an early age he showed the ability to draw.

At the age of 16, Joseph entered the Vilna school of drawing, headed by Ivan Petrovich Trutnev (the Jewish community of Bobruisk sent him there to study, giving 5 rubles with him), which he successfully graduated in 1899 . At the end, he left for Odessa with the aim of continuing his artistic education.

However, due to his shortsightedness, Joseph Tunkel could not devote himself to painting and instead devoted his whole life to literature. Living in Odessa in an atmosphere saturated with literature and art, Joseph Tunkel became interested in poetry.

In 1901, his first poems were published in the Der Yud newspaper ( Warsaw ; editor J. Luria), and from that moment he gradually turned into a very prolific writer, author of numerous poems, short stories, feuilleton notes, humorous sketches, plays and children's stories in Yiddish . Most of them were published in the Jewish newspapers of Europe and America and served as material for broadcasters and performers, for performing on stage.

In 1906, Joseph Tunkel visited New York , where he became a comedian and founded two humorous newspapers, Der Kibbitzer and Di Groyser Kundes ( 1908 ). The second existed for quite some time, even after Joseph returned to Warsaw .

In Warsaw, Joseph Tunkel becomes editor and author of the humorous weekly Der moment and his satirical weekly app, Krumer Der Spiegel (Crooked Mirror). During his time at Krumer Der Spiegel, the name of Joseph Tunkel became popular among Jewish readers of Poland and Russia . Then for the first time he appears under the pseudonyms Hoyshekh and Der Tunkeler (a collection of parodies and imitations of Joseph Tunkel called “Crooked Mirror” was published in Russia in 1911 ). Joseph’s first humorous book was published in Warsaw : Der Griner Papugai (The Green Parrot, Warsaw, 1912 ).

After the outbreak of World War I , Joseph Tunkel left Warsaw and first moved to Bobruisk , and from there to Kiev and Odessa where he collaborated in various Jewish publications; made attempts to publish the humorous newspapers Ashmedai and Sambation and to publish in Di Royte Hagada (Red Agada, Odessa , 1917 ).

His return to Warsaw occurs only after the cessation of hostilities, where in the next two decades Joseph Tunkel published a number of humorous books: Katoves (Jokes; Warsaw, 1923, a collection of humor films and parodies), Mitn Kop Arop (Down Head ”, Warsaw, 1924, 2nd edition of Vilnius , 1931),“ Mit di Fis Aroyf ”(“ Upside Down ”, Warsaw, 1926),“ Ikh Lakh fun Aykh ”(“ Laughing at You ”, Vilnius, 1930) and many others, as well as several books for children, including the processing of children's books by the German poet Wilhelm Bush (for the first time in Jewish literature).

In the spring of 1931, Der Tunkeler visited Israel (Palestine) and later described this trip in his book Fort a Yid Kein Eretz Yisroel (A Jew Travels to Eretz Yisrael, Warsaw, 1932).

In 1932 - 1933, Der Tunkeler made a long trip to America, in 1937 he visited Paris .

In 1939, Der Tunkeler was on vacation in Belgium when World War II began . Here he became an employee of the Jewish weekly Undzer Ishev ( Brussels ), an organ of the Council of Jewish Organizations in Belgium .

In May 1940 , after the Nazi invasion of Belgium , Joseph Tunkel crossed the border into France , where he was later detained by the Vichy police and placed in a center for displaced foreign Jews in Strasbourg .

After Der Tunkeller managed to escape from the camp, he made a long journey back to the United States and in the spring of 1941 ended up in New York , where he became a permanent employee of the Jewish newspaper Der Forverts (Forverts - front).

In 1943, Joseph Tunkel published the book Goles. Ksovim von a Flichtling ”(“ Exile. Notes of a Refugee ”, New York ), in which he spoke about his ordeals in occupied Europe. Joseph Tunkel was also published in Svive magazine ( New York ; editor Kadya Molodovskaya).

Shortly before his death, Joseph Tunkel published a small book of ironic prose, Der Groyser Genits Oder a Nudner Tag in Nyu York (Big Yawn or a Boring Day in New York, New York , 1948).

In the last years of his life he was ill a lot and almost lost his sight.

After the death of Joseph Tunkel, his autobiographical essay “Dos Capital Vilne in Mine Lebn” (“The Vilnius Period of My Life”) was published in the Literary almanac ( New York , 1951).

• Yo Hasone Haben , Nit Hasone Haben, 19 ??

• Der Kromer Spiegel: Parodien, Shorushen, und Nacahemungen , Warsaw, 1911.58 pp. (NUC1) (NYPL)

• Fleder Mayz ... Filietonen, Lieder un Parodien , Verlag A Gittlin, Warsaw, 1912. 71 pp. (HUC) (NYPL, 1)

• Der Griner Papugai: A Zamlung fon Monologen, Satiren, un Parodien , Published by Y. Halter, Warsaw, 1912. 72 pp. (NUC1)

• Der Goldener Aeroplan Oder Haim-Yankel Der Hanig Kvetsher, Lewin-Epstein Publishers, Warsaw, 1914. 96 pp. Illus. (NYPL)

• Di Royte Hagada, N. Halperin, Odessa, 1917.16 pp. (LYS)

• Di Bolshevististhe Hagada, fun Tunkelen Mit ... Masiyos un Meshalim. Mit Perushim un Dinim Wegen Bdikat Khametz un Biur Hametz un Seder-Preven ... M. Goldfein Publishers, Kiev, 1918.16 pp. (HUC)

• Idishisten, Kiev ?, 1918? 15 pp. (NYPL1)

• Molines - in Pensionet, Kiev ?, 1918? 15 pp. (NYPL1)

• Zomer-Leb, Kiev, 1918.15 pp. (LNYL)

• Der Purim-Ber, Odessa, Blimeloch, Odessa, 1919.22 pp. (LYS)

• Der Humorist. A Shpas in ein Akt, Farlag Levin-Epstein Bros. and Partners, Warsaw, 1920.28 pp. (NUC1)

• Masa'ot Benyamin HaRevii (Funem Ukrainishe Caos), Farlag "Mizrah un Maarav", New York, 1920. 91 pp. (NUC1)

• Der Hasan, A Shpas in ein Akt, Farlag Levin-Epstein Bros. and Partners, Warsaw, 1920.26 pp. (NYPL)

• Vikhne-Dvoshe Fort Kayn America, Farlag Humoristishe Bibliotek, Warsaw, 1921. 91 pp. (NUC1) (HUC)

• Kopel un di Genz, Warsaw, 1921 (2nd edition, 1928). 14 pp. Illus. (LNYL)

• Der Regenboygen, Warsaw, 1922.267 pp. (LNYL)

• Haim Getzel Der Reformator Mit Zaynen 25 Reformen, Farlag Humoristishes Bibliotek, Warsaw, 1922. 74 pp. Illus. (HUC) (NYPL)

• Katoves, Warsaw, 1923, 134 pp. (LNYL)

• Mit di Fis Aroyf: Neue Humoreskes, Stzenkes un Parodiyes, Achisepher Publishers, Warsaw, 1926 ?. 211 pp. (NUC1) (NYPL)

• Mitn Kop Arop: Parodiyes, Farlag “Tsentral”, Warsaw, 1924 (2nd edition, Wilno, 1931). 189 p. (NUC1,2) (NYPL) (HUC)

• Oyf-tsu-cloymersht: Humoreskes fon Der Tunkeler, B. Klatzkin Publishers, Warsaw and Wilno, 1931. 216 pp. (NUC1,2) (NYPL) (HUC)

• Ikh Lakh fun Aykh: Humoresken, Stzenkes, Gramen, Bucher, Warsaw, 1931. 212 pp. (HUC) (NYPL)

• A Gelechter on a Zayt. Satireskes, Humoreskes, Stzenkes, Achisefer, 1931. 95 pp. (LNYL says 193? Pp) (HUC)

• Das Freylike Teater: Eynakters, Stzenkes, Declamatziyes, Bucher Publishers, Warsaw, 1931. 246 pp. (HUC) (NYPL)

• Fort a Yid Kein Eretz Yisroel: “A Reise-Beschreibung,” M. Nomberg Publishers, 1932. 278 pp. Illus. (HUC) (NYPL)

• In Gutn Mut: A Zamlung fon Homoreskes, Satires, Groteskes, Parodiyes, and Stzenkes, Kultur Buch, Warsaw, 1936. 222 pp. (NUC1) (NYPL)

• On Gal: Humoreskishes Skitzen, Ferun un Gramen, Warsaw, 1939. 188 pp. (HUC)

• Goles: Ksovim fun a Flichtling, Schreiber Farlag, New York, 1943. 95 pp. (NUC1,2) (NYPL) (HUC)

• Der Groyser Genits: Oder a Nudner Tag in Nyu York, A Humoristishe Dertsaylung fon Tunkel, Schreiber Farlag, New York, 1948, 63 pp. (NUC1,2) (NYPL)

Collections

• Humoristishe Bibliotek, 5 Vol., (Vol. 1: Gelechter un a Zat, Vol. 2: Ich Lach fun Aych, Vol. 3: Miten Kop Aroyp, Vol. 4: Oyf-tsu-cloymersht, Vol. 5: Das Freiliki Teater, (Vol 3 and 4 printed at Wilna). (HUC)

Articles

• “Dos Kapital Vilna In Mein Leben” in Lite, Dr. Mendel Sudarsk and Uriah Katzenelenbogen eds., Volume 1, 1951, pp 1279-1289.

• “Zikhrones” in Bobruisk: Sefer-Zikharon Lekehilat Bobruisk u Venoteah, Yehuda Slutzky, ed. Volume 2, 1967, p 538 - 9.

Tunkel Translations

• Busch, Wilhelm, 1832-1908. Notl un Motl, Farlag Levin-Epstein Bros. and Partners, Warsaw, 1928 (First edition, 1920). 74 pp. Illus. (NYPL) (LNYL)

• Busch, Wilhelm, 1832-1908. Di Papirene Shlang, Farlag Levin-Epstein Bros. and Partners, Warsaw, 1921. (2nd edition 1928) 22 pp. Illus. (NYPL) (LNYL)

• Busch, Wilhelm, 1832-1908. Kopel un di Genz, Farlag Levin-Epstein Bros. and Partners, Warsaw, 1921. 14 pp. Illus. (NYPL)

• Mann, Thomas, Jacob un Esau.

Newspapers and magazines

• Der Kibitzer: Monatlikher Illustirter Zhurnal Far Humor, Vits un Kibets, Vol 1-8, New York (1908-1914). Illus. (HUC) (NYPL) (H) (YLLP)

• Der Groyser Kundes: A Zhurnal fir Humor, Vits un Satire, 12/15/1908 - 9/9/1927, New York. (H) (YLLP)

• Der Kromer Shpigel, Editor of the weekly humor supplement for the magazine Der Moment.