Autograph Letter Hand-signed by Shaul Tchernichovsky – Heidelberg, 1900

Autograph letter, signed by hand by Shaul Tchernichovsky, Heidelberg (Germany), [ca. 1900].
The letter is addressed to "My Dear Yosef" (presumably the historian and professor of Hebrew Literature Joseph Klausner) with an interesting report about Tchernichovsky's literary progress: new poems sent for publication in newspapers ("I translated from Longfellow the 'Slave's Dream' for Ravnitzky, an original poem I cannot give him for lack of 'holy spirit'"), first drafts just composed ("sending you a poem from 'Hezionit Nevi Hasheker', and I have two more of this kind"), and even plans for composing new works ("you probably received a card from Worms… all that I see there I am not telling you now – one day you will find all in a poem" [the poem "Worms Ballades"?].
Tchernichovsky ends the letter with a new literary idea: "'Bar Kochva' is again on my mind… he is two-faced… I do not know whether I give the solution to a poem's protagonist or to a drama protagonist. Great confusion" (Over time, Tchernichovsky chose both possibilities and composed a poem as well as a play with Bar Kochba as the protagonist).
Shaul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) – physician, poet and translator; one of the greatest Jewish poets. Tchernichovsky studied medicine in the University of Heidelberg and completed his studies in Lausanne, Switzerland. During all of his life he combined his work as a doctor with his work as a poet. After he graduated from medical school he worked as a physician in Ukraine. In 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg and opened a clinic. In 1919 he moved to Odessa. Immigrated to Palestine in 1931 and settled there.
[1] leaf (two written pages), approx. 17.5 cm. Good condition. Horizontal folding mark. Some stains and blemishes.