Auction 87 - Jewish and Israeli Art, History and Culture

Including: sketches by Ze'ev Raban and Bezalel items, hildren's books, avant-garde books, rare ladino periodicals, and more

"Reb Abba" – Anthology of Yiddish Short Stories by Zalman Yizhak Anokhi – Warsaw, 1911 – Illustrations by Bernard Kratko

Opening: $150
Unsold
Reb Abba, by Z.Y. [Zalman Yizhak] Anokhi. Illustrated by B. [Bernard] Kratko. Warsaw: Velt-Bibliotek, 1911. Yiddish.
The earliest collection of stories by Zalman Yizhak Anokhi (Aharonson) (1878-1947), containing stories revolving around the popular figure he created, "Reb Abba." Accompanied by illustrations by the Russian-Jewish sculptor and illustrator Bernard Kratko (1884-1860).
In the words of Avner Holtzman, "the figure of Reb Abba, the protagonist of this series of monologues, was well-liked by readers and listeners. Anokhi came to be identified first and foremost with Reb Abba, having spent many years conducting public readings in evening gatherings all over Eastern Europe and beyond, in which he would make use of his considerable skills as an actor and narrator to perform the monologues" (Avner Holtzman, "Yizhak Zalman Anokhi, " Lexicon of the New Hebrew Literature, Hebrew.)
Bernard Kratko (born Aron Szymon Ber Kratko), Russian-Jewish sculptor and illustrator, raised in a traditional Jewish family environment. Born in Warsaw. Among the most prominent of Jewish book illustrators of the early 20th century. Began as an apprentice in a print workshop. Studied sculpture and painting in Warsaw and in Berlin (where he became acquainted with Max Liebermann). He subsequently began traveling extensively throughout Europe, and also visited Egypt and Palestine. His art was profoundly influenced by Jewish tradition and mysticism, as well as by modernism. His most famous works were the illustrations created for a series of plays (1910) by the renowned Yiddish author and playwright Y. L. Peretz. In 1916, he moved from Warsaw to Russia, taking up residence in Kyiv and teaching sculpture, whereupon his output began to conform with the Socialist realism then prevalent in the Soviet Union, taking the form of busts, reliefs, and other types of sculpture. He was arrested in 1937 and deported to Central Asia. Upon his release in 1945, he returned westward, settling once again in Kyiv, where he passed away.
85, 89-99 pp. + [7] plates: illustrations (mispagination), 21.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor tears to edges of several leaves. Wear and abrasions to binding.
Yiddish Children's Books, Poetry and Periodicals, Avant-garde
Yiddish Children's Books, Poetry and Periodicals, Avant-garde