Descriptive Summary
Fram, David, b.
1903 David Fram Papers
1920s-1984
Yiddish
1997-23
36332299
5 linear inches
Benson Latin American Collection, The University
of Texas at Austin
Correspondence, drafts of
literary works, clippings, and publications of Yiddish author David Fram.
Biographical
Sketch Yiddish author David Fram was born in Panevezys, Lithuania, on
Oct. 14, 1903 and died in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 10, 1988. Having
been exiled to Russia during World War I, he returned to Lithuania in 1921. He
emigrated to South Africa in 1927 but also lived for many years in London and
Rhodesia. He took a four–month trip beginning in Nov. 1946 to Paris, Basel,
Antwerp, and New York in order to meet with other Yiddish writers and to
discuss his writings. He began publishing in 1923 in Yiddish newspapers and
journals in Kovno, Lithuania. He published two anthologies of his poetry—Lider un poemes (Vilna: Johannesburg, 1931) and
A shvalb oyfn dakh (Johannesburg, 1983)—as well as
two long poems, Efsher and Dos Letste Kapitl (both London, 1947). A significant
amount of his work remains unpublished.
Scope and Contents Note The
collection of David Fram consists of correspondence, drafts (many incomplete)
of his literary works, clippings, and publications. The time span is the 1920s
to 1980s. Most of the collection is in Yiddish, but some items are in English
or French. Correspondence to Fram includes business colleagues; family members;
Hebrew writer, Yosi Gamzu; Yiddish writers, H. Erlikh, Yudel Mark, Nachman
Mayzel, Chaim Sacks and David Wilkin; P.E.N. South African Centre;
Dorem-afrikaner Yidishe kultur-federatsye (South African Yiddish Cultural
Federation) and Yidishe kultur-federatsye, Capetown, South Africa (Yiddish
Cultural Federation). Correspondence from Fram includes business colleagues;
family members; Jewish artists, Alva and Bencjon Benn; Fram’s translator,
Joseph Leftwich; Yiddish writers, Meilech Bakalczuk-Felin, Jonathan Batnitzky,
Leah Benson-Rink, Leon Bernstein, Benjamin Jacob Bialostotzky, Hirsh Bloshtein,
Jacob Botoshansky, Richard Feldman, Jacob Glatstein, Itshe Goldberg, S. J.
Goldsmith, Chaim Grade, Zalman Levi, Chaim Sacks, Israel Jacob Schwartz, Levi
Shalit, M. Tabatznik and David Wilkin; P.E.N. South African Centre; and
Dorem-afrikaner Yidishe kultur-federatsye (South African Yiddish Cultural
Federation). His literary works include poetry, prose and literary
criticism.
Arrangement The collection is arranged in three series:
Correspondence, Literary works, Biography and assorted. Correspondence is
arranged chronologically; Literary works are arranged by genre as correctly as
possible.
Access
RestrictionsUnrestricted.
Use RestrictionsStandard
copyright restrictions apply.
Preferred CitationCite as:
David Fram Papers, Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas
Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin.
Index TermsThe David Fram Papers are classified under the
following Subject Headings in the University of
Texas Libraries catalog:
Fram, David
Botoshansky, Jacob,
1895- Mark, Yudel,
1897-1975 Mayzel,
Nachman, 1887-1966Dorem-afrikaner Yidishe
ḳulṭur-federatsyeYiddish
literature--South Africa--Sources
Authors,
Yiddish--Sources Mark,
Yudel, 1897-1975 Mayzel, Nachman, 1887-1966
Sherman,
Joseph
Box and Folder Inventory
Correspondence,
1920s-1980s
11
Correspondence, 1920s
12
Correspondence, 1930s
13
Correspondence, 1940s
14
Correspondence, 1950s
15
Correspondence, 1960s
16
Correspondence, 1970s
17
Correspondence, 1980s
18
Letters from Fram to Jacob Botoshansky (Mar.
11, 1948; Sept. 26, 1964)
1
9Letter from Jacobo Denker and
Dorita Windler (Buenos Aires, Argentina) to Zisle Tabakavitsh (Johannesburg,
South Africa, Jan. 21, 1982)
110
Correspondence, no date or no year
Literary works by Fram
1983, n.d.
111
Poem "Diamonds"
112
Poem "In Afrike"
(chapters 1-3)
1
13 Poem "In Afrike"
(p. 2-7, various copies)
1 14Poem "In Afrike"
(p. 1-2, unnumbered [unable
to correlate])
1 15
Poetry
(Yiddish) Titled poems are in
quotation marks. Untitled poems are without quotation marks.
1
1.
[Recto] Avaday vi s’kukt oys vet men zayn shoyn groyse glikh
1
1. [Verso] Gots viln mit
got
1
2. Bay Dolke Masmazshnik flegt
men zikh dervisn (4 unnumb.
pp.) 1 3.
"Beronis"
1
4. Di brete fun di klotkes
hiltserne…
1
5. Derveyle hot di kar
dergrekheyt shoyn yene felder,
1 6. Dos
alts hot er gehot oyf zikh (verso
also contains text)
1
7. Du bist gevezn ongeton in shvartsn…
(6 p.: p. 6, 7, 15,
59-61) 1 8. Di
dzshongls un di shtet, dayn hayah un der mentsh
(3 p.: p. 2-4 )
1
9.
[Recto] Er hot aropgekukt ke-seder arunter
1
9. [Verso] Genung tsu zingen vegn
shneyelikh un blumen
1 10. Es
zaynen ergets-vu fargangen trit- (3
p.: p. 1, 3, 1 unnumb. p. earlier version of p. 1)
1
11. Farshparte in tfises, vi
hilfloze shof (2 p.: p. 2,
3) 1 12.
Flekhlekh, kletslekh, lekelekh(other
text on verso)
1
13. Fun destvegn (verso
contains marked out lines)
1
14. Fun vaytn hot an alte vasere mil beklapt, nokh
klomershaft
1
15. Der gantser tararam- dos
shtupenish. Der lyarem
1 16.
"Gemeynt hob ikh"
1 17.
Got iz zikh gezesen bay zayn alte shtibke,
(verso also contains marked out lines)
1
18. Di hint arum di farmers
hobn zikh kayn ort(3 unnumb.
p.) 1 19.
Hot men take tekhefdik derlangt zikh shtil a loz
(10 p.: p. 3-6, 8-10,
13-18) 1 20.
Hot men zikh take yetst ? genumen
1 21.
Hot opgeshla??? er nokh a Burverso
contains text)
1
22. Hot yeder gehot a shtayger vos tsu zogn
1
23. Ikh bin oyf mider erd an umetiker geyer
(2 p.: 2 variant cops.)
1
24. In mitn fun der nakht hot
mitamol
1
25. Ir libe brent zikh tekhef
oys punkt vi a bintl shroy(verso
also contains text)
1
26. Der kalter naser vint hot im a shmits
1
27. Karta hot geshlofen shayn in tsvaytn heder
1
28. Khe khe, a vunder mamash iz mit im geshen
1
29. Dos kleyd in velkher Lina iz gegan tsu der levaye fun ir
man
1
30. Di lid iz ongeshribn far
mayn fraynd un zayn froy—Yaakov Zibuts
(6 p.)
116
31. "Matebele"(A kapitl
fun der poeme)
1
32. Me ret, men makht a trunk. Men heybt dem kos—"mi-shir-mi-shir"…
(2 p.: p.
2-3) 1 33.
Men bet dokh otsros gold haynt far a shtikl karka (erd)… un erd vert nisht
farfoylt,(verso also contains
text) 1 34.
Men hot gepruvt zay oyssamen, tseshtirn…
1 35.
Men hot zikh vider mitamol dermont fartsvayflton…
1
36. Meshugener…vi narish im hot zikh nokh alts gedukht
1
37. Mir tretn in blut (4
p.: 2 cops. p. 1)
1
38. Mit heln, loykhtndikn farb fun frishe kreyter
(1 p.: p. 4)
1
39. Mit yorn nokh tsurik—in
Kovne vu er iz dan geven(1 p.: p.
2) 1 40.
Nisht mahmas…
1
41. Nor hilfloz es zaynen di
shvartse milyonen(14 p.: p. 4-7;
variant cop., 6 p.)
1
42. Nor hot geduld un vart, kh’hob oykh vos tsu
dertseyln-
1
43. Nor mitamol derlangt um
Yakub zikh a shtel fun h?tn bank
(verso contains marked out lines)
1
44. Oys???n un potur di
shedim
1
45. Oysgeloshen ale
menores
1
46. [Recto] Punkt vi men volt gevolt aroys
1
46. [Verso] Ot take davke zayn, ven
farmers
1
47. "Samara"
(2 p.)
1
48. Tsi vel ikh far ayn mentsh zingen
(2 cops.: 1 handwritten, 1 partially
typed) 1 49.
Tsu tantsen un loyfen tekhef nokh di tents tseefenen di vaser
(verso also contains
text) 1 50. Un
s’iz der veyser himl (verso contains
marked out lines)
1
51. Un yor nokh yor… (2
p. [may be separate poems]: p. 8, 1 p. unnumb.)
1
52. Ven ikh kum tsurik nokh
yorn no ve nod
1 53.
Ver zogt dos, Afrike, az du bist mir dervidver
(3 p.: unnumb. p.: variant copy of p. 1)
1
54. Vi s’volt
1
55. Volt ikh shoyn fun im do aleyn a derleyzter
(1 p.: p. 29)
1
56. Vu s’tript dos heyse blut
fun zayne negl oyfn groz,(2 p.: p.
3–4) 1 57.
Zay flegn mir farshafen freyd…
1 58.
Zay flegn vi ganavim bafaln veyte farmers aropknaydn le-moshl fun
(partial letter on verso)
1
59. "A zelner"
1
60. Di zun iz shayn geshtaynen hoykh in himl
(1 p.: p. 18)
1
17Poetry
(English)
1
1. "First Girl"(1
p.) 12.
"Gypsy Song"(1
p.) 13. "The
Last Chapter"(translated by Joseph
Leftwich) (4 p.: pp. 1, 2, 3, 15)Original
Yiddish edition published as: Dos Letste Kapitl
(London: Narod Press, 1947). Revised selections from the translation published
in The Golden Peacock (New York: Thomas Yoseloff,
l96l, pp. 631–632). A copy of the typescript of the complete English
translation is located in the Library of the University of Witwaterstrand
(South Africa).
1
4. "Scott"(2 versions.
Version 1: p. 2–7. Version 2: p. 6–10)Yiddish
version serially published in Dorem Afrike v.8 no.
4–11 (Dec. 1955–July 1956).
118 Prose
1
Essays
1
1. "Berele Hagai—der bavuster
hazan fun Nyu York in Dorem Afrike"
(2 p.)
1
2. Nortcliffe (l p.: p.
2) 1 Short
stories
1
1. "Dorem Afrike fun der
vaytns: ayndrukn un shtimungen" (9
p.: p. 1–9) 1 2.
"Derveyl iz ongekumen Margo"(3 p.:
p. 2, 3, 11)
1
3. "Gevis vays ikh vegn geshikhte"
(4 p.: p. 1-4)
1
4. "Hot in Fortrn’s"(l
p.: p. 12, 2 cops.)
1
5. "Ikh ze Got" (36 p.:
p. 1-36) 16. Mayn
Got, iz dos Karmen?!…(1 unnumb.
p.)
119
Literary Criticism
1
1. A. Liski(2 p.: p. 1-2,
2 cops.) 12.
Malka Locker, b. 1887(l p.: p.
3) 13.
Chaim Sacks(1 p.:
p.4) 14. M.
Tabatznik, 1894-1895
1A. "Der
dertseyler"(2 p.: p. 1, 2
cops.) 1B. "Der
mentsh, der dikhter, un zayn arum. Fun dem bukh Yidishe
sharlatans un gute mentshn, vos ikh hob getrofn in Dorem
Afrike"(5 p.: p. 1,4, p. l, 2
cops.) 1C.
"Kalmon Bulan"
(4 p., p. 1-4)
1
D. No title: about Kalmon Bulan
(2 p.: p. 2-3)
1
E. "Un zayne bikher"
(version l: 2 p.: p. 1, 2 cops.; version 2: 2 p.: p.
1-2) 1F. No
title: about Tabatznik’s writings(1
p.: p. 2)
1
5. David E. Wolpe(1
p.)
Biographical and Assorted
1947-1982, n.d.
120
Biographical information on Fram
121
Assorted Items
11.
Dorem Afrike(July–Sept. 1982
issue)
1
2. Hirsh Osherowitch. "In payn gelayterte dikhtung: vegn bukh
A Volkn un a veg fun Dovid Volpe"
(photocopy from Di Goldene
keyt, Tel Aviv: 7 p.)
1
3. Simon Weber. "Di ‘mysterye’ arum der petire fun Hayyim Grade, a.
h." photocopied clipping from
The Jewish Daily Forward, New York, 1982, 2.
p.) 14.
"Hulle skoonheid vergaan nie" (with
picture of Adele Kruger) (photocopied clipping, 1 p.)
1
5. Sol Liptzin. Book review of
Shtile vegn (Silent roads) by H.
Ehrlich(1 p.)
1
6. Unknown English language
review of Fram’s Dos Letste kapitl
(London, 1947 p. 2 only)
1
7. Examples of Hebrew forms of
address for letters
18.
Grocery list(on paper
fragment) 19.
Scrap sheet from Editor of Dorem
Afrike
OV
10. Newspaper:
Kender Adler (Montreal)Sept.
19, 28, l952(2 copies)