Ira Jan
Ira Jan | |
---|---|
Born | Эсфи́рь Иосиле́вич Слепя́н 2 February 1869 |
Died | 24 April 1919 (aged 50) |
Resting place | Trumpeldor Cemetery |
Ira Jan (Russian: И́ра Ян) is the pseudonym of the painter and writer Esther Yoselevitch Slepyan (Эсфи́рь Иосиле́вич Слепя́н; 2 February 1869 – 24 April 1919), although primarily known as Haim Nahman Bialik's mistress,
Biography
Esther Yoselevitch was the youngest of three children of an
In 1903, after the
In 1906 Jan immigrated to
In 1914, following the outbreak of
Relationship with Bialik
From the 1980s, academic studies uncovered the tangled web of Bialik and Ira Jan's love. With the pogrom in the background, Jan fell in love with the poet, left her husband and prior beliefs, and immigrated to The Land of Israel.
Bialik was married, but heartbroken by the fact that they were childless, and was obviously attracted to the artist. Some scholars, including Ziva Shamir and Hillel Barzel, believe that at least two of Bialik's poems, "Thou Art Leaving Me" (״הולכת את מעמי״) and "To Your Secret Path" (״לנתיבך הנעלם״), were dedicated to Jan.
Bialik apparently concealed his love to her for fear of losing his reputation, cut all contact with her after she left for the Land of Israel, and only went to the Land of Israel himself after she had died. Only in 1972 did some scholars reveal some letters that expressed Bialik's big secret, that were hidden by Moshe Ungerfeld, the second administrator of the Bialik House. Ungerfeld's incentive, too, was protecting Bialik's reputation. Additional related material was found after Ungerfeld's death in 1983.
Ziva Shamir believes that a large portion of Bialik's works were directly inspired by his relationship with Jan, that, in her opinion, were the central love affair of his life.
Further reading
The publications listed below are in Hebrew.
- Rachel Yanait Ben Zvi, Ira Jan; Tel Aviv: Neuman publishers, 1965 (art album)
- Nurit Govrin, "A Woman Alone: The Painter Ira Jan as an Israeli Storyteller", in "Honey from the Rock: Studies of Eretz Israel Literature", The Ministry of Defence Press, 1989, pp. 354–407.
- Ziva Shamir, "To Your Secret Path: The Trail of the Ira Jan Affair in Bialik's Works" (edited by Haim Cohen), Tel Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2000
- Eda Zoritte, "Life's Love: the Tragic Love of Painter Ira Jan to Haim Nahman Bialik", Jerusalem, Keter, 2000 (a novel)
- Ruth Baki Kolodny, "Take Me Under Your Wing: A Journey in the Tracks of Ira Jan" (Letters translated from Russian by Peter Kriksonov, Viktor Radutsky and Aharon Ormian), Tel Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2003 (a biography)
- Shlomo Shva, "O thou seer, go: Haim Nahman Bialik's Life Story", Dvir, 1990 (a biography)
References
- ^ a b c d Prince-Gibson, Eetta (13 April 2006). "From the Rooftops of Zion". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Livneh, Neri (10 November 2003). "אירה יאן בזכות עצמה". HaAretz. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b Lyukimson (Люкимсон), Peter (Петр) (2 February 2016). "Две музы Бялика (Two muses of Bialik)". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Scroll of Fire (מגילת האש)". Ben Yehuda Project. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "The Dead of the Desert (מתי מדבר)". Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ Bachi Kolodny, Ruth. "Ira Jan". Jewish Women's Archive – The Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Retrieved 19 October 2019.