Eliezer Blum (1896–1963), known by the pen name B. Alquit (also spelled B. Alkvit), was a Polish-born American Yiddish poet, short-story writer, critic, and translator associated with the New York–based In-Zikh (Introspectivist) movement. He contributed poetry, prose, and literary criticism to leading Yiddish journals, and his work appears in major anthologies and scholarly editions of Yiddish literature.[1]
Biography
editBlum was born in 1896 in Chełm, Poland, and immigrated to the United States in 1914, settling in New York City.[1] Writing primarily under the pen name B. Alquit, he became active in Yiddish literary circles and published poetry, fiction, and criticism. He was affiliated with the Jewish Morning Journal. Blum died in New York in 1963.[2]
Literary career
editPoetry
editBlum began publishing poetry in Yiddish periodicals during the 1910s and 1920s. His work reflects modernist experimentation, psychological introspection, and urban themes characteristic of the In-Zikh aesthetic.
He published a book-length poetry collection, Lider (1964). His poems were later selected for major anthologies, including Sing, Stranger: A Century of American Yiddish Poetry and A Treasury of Yiddish Poetry, situating his work within the canon of American Yiddish verse.[3] [4]
Prose
editIn addition to poetry, Blum wrote short stories and prose sketches. English translations of his fiction were published posthumously in Revolt of the Apprentices and Other Stories, translated by Etta Blum.[5] One story from the collection, Godol’s Ring, appeared earlier in English translation in Commentary.[6]
Translation
editBlum also worked as a literary translator. In 1926 he published a Yiddish translation of Arthur Schnitzler’s Casanovas Heimfahrt under the title Kasanovas aheymker.[7]
In-Zikh movement
editBlum was associated with the In-Zikh movement, a New York–based Yiddish avant-garde group founded in 1920 by Jacob Glatstein, Aaron Glanz-Leyeles, and N. B. Minkoff. Reference works identify B. Alquit among the movement’s adherents, and his poetry and criticism reflect its emphasis on introspection and modernist form.[1]
Critical writing
editAlongside his creative work, Blum wrote literary criticism and participated actively in contemporary debates. His essay Modern Prose and his critical exchange with Debora Vogel are preserved in the scholarly volume Blooming Spaces: The Collected Poetry, Prose, Critical Writing, and Letters of Debora Vogel, which reproduces both his review and Vogel’s response.[8]
Legacy
editAlthough not among the most widely known Yiddish poets today, Blum is consistently represented in scholarly surveys of American Yiddish poetry and modernism. His inclusion in major anthologies, publication of book-length works in multiple genres, and presence in academic discussions of the In-Zikh movement situate him within the broader canon of twentieth-century Yiddish literature.
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Blum, Eliezer". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
- ↑ "B. Alquit, well-known Yiddish poet, dies in New York; was 66". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1963. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
- ↑ Harshav, Benjamin; Harshav, Barbara, eds. (2006). Sing, Stranger: A Century of American Yiddish Poetry. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 556–559. ISBN 978-0-8047-5183-4.
- ↑ Howe, Irving; Greenberg, Eliezer, eds. (1969). A Treasury of Yiddish Poetry. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. pp. 262–264. ISBN 978-0-03-066425-0.
- ↑ Alquit, B. (1969). Revolt of the Apprentices and Other Stories. Cranbury, New Jersey: Thomas Yoseloff.
- ↑ "Gogol's Ring". Commentary. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
- ↑ "Kasanovas aheymker". Yiddish Book Center. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
- ↑ Vogel, Debora (2020). Lyubas, Anastasiya (ed.). Blooming Spaces: The Collected Poetry, Prose, Critical Writing, and Letters of Debora Vogel. Boston: Academic Studies Press. pp. 366–372. ISBN 978-1-64469-391-9.