I. J. Schwartz

The American Yiddish poet I. J. Schwartz was born in the province of Kovno, Lithuania. He received a traditional Jewish education but also immersed himself in the new modern Hebrew literature. In 1908, he immigrated to the United States. He settled first in New York City, where he earned a living as a Hebrew teacher, but in 1918 he, his wife, and daughter moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he operated a millinery shop until 1929. There he wrote his 260-page verse epic Kentucky. Set in the post–Civil War period, it describes the natural beauty of the bluegrass region and the growth of Lexington and tells the story of an immigrant from Lithuania who starts as a peddler and becomes a successful merchant. In 1929, Schwartz returned to New York. He also translated Hebrew poetry into Yiddish.