Book cover, Ingel Tsingel Khvat by Mani Leib. Illustration: Eliezer Lissitzky, Russia, 1918
Must Know
Mani Leib (20 December 1883, Nezhin, Russian Empire – 4 October 1953, New York) was a Yiddish-language poet. He was one of eight children; his father sold furs, hides, and animals at regional fairs. His mother supported the family selling hens. At the age of 11 Leyb left school to be apprenticed to a bootmaker and as a participant in “revolutionary activities”, he was arrested twice while still in his teens. He migrated to the United States at the age of 22 and settled in New York City in 1906. He worked throughout his life making shoes and boots, and he references his profession in the poem “I Am.” He published his poems in Yiddish newspapers. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Leib’s sound poems drew renewed attention to the Yiddish language through their skillful use of alliteration and repetition. Mani Leib also wrote about children. His classic, Yingl Tsingl Khvat, was illustrated by the Russian avant-garde master, El Lissitzky.
