Background
Abraham Regelson was born in Hlusk, now Belarus, in the Russian Empire in 1896, and died at his home in Neveh Monossohn, Israel in 1981.
journalist linguist writer poet
Abraham Regelson was born in Hlusk, now Belarus, in the Russian Empire in 1896, and died at his home in Neveh Monossohn, Israel in 1981.
He studied at a heder and public schools. He never finished formal studies, but was an autodidact who spent many hours in libraries.
He is the maternal uncle of Cynthia Ozick. In the United States
Regelson emigrated with his family to the United States when he was nine years old. At first he earned his livelihood as a librarian and Hebrew teacher, and began publishing his poetry, stories and translations in various Hebrew publications, both in America and in what was then early Jewish Palestine.
His first aliya (immigration) to Eretz Israel was in the year 1933.
Employed by the daily newspaper Davar, he was one of the founders of the children"s weekly supplement Davar l"Yladim, where his well-loved classic "Masa HaBubot l"Eretz-Yisrael" ("The Dolls" Journey to Eretz Israel") was first published in installments. There he earned his living by writing for the Yiddish press, while publishing several books containing his Hebrew poetry, legends and philosophical essays.
In Israel in 1949
After Israel"s establishment, he returned there in 1949. Appointed as an editor for the publishing house Am Oved, he was also on the staff of the daily newspaper First Rate (at Lloyd's) Ha-Mishmar, where he featured as a regular columnist.
Regelson"s language is uniquely original, combining the old and the new in a captivating style.
His innovative usages contributed to the rejuvenation of the Hebrew tongue. The influence of English literature added an appealing flavor to his work. He was a prolific translator and enriched Hebrew with many classics of English literature.