Korn, Rachel Herring: 1898-1982

Rachel Korn was born in Pudlizski Galicia (now Poland) on a village estate where under Frans Yosef, Jews were allowed land ownership. She grew up in love with nature. Her father was a writer and through him she developed love of books and writing. He died when she was around twelve years old. She had a Jewish education as well as private tutors for Polish. She spent WW1 in Vienna and received higher education there.

She was introduced to writing in Yiddish by her husband and lived with him in Premysl. Her intense love of nature, frankness and passion caused some readers to think the writer was male. Her early work extolled home and later work focused on homelessness. In 1941, she was separated from her husband when the Germans invaded Premysl where he was killed. Daughter Irene was a med student in Lvov and she and her mother fled to the Soviet Union where they spent the war. This experience turned Korn against communism. She moved to Stockholm in 1946 and then to Montreal where she spent the rest of her life. She was awarded the Itzik Manger prize for Yiddish poetry and was re-discovered by subsequent generations. She has been included in many anthologies: i.e. Leftwich, Joseph, “The Golden Peacock: A Worldwide Treasury of Yiddish Poetry” p. 648-655. Pub. Thomas Yoseloff for A.S. Barnes Co. UBC 1961, and I. Howe, R. Wisse and K. Shmeruk, The Penguin Book of Modlern Yiddish Verse, pages 520-526 pub. Viking, Penguin 1987.