Hebrajski przekład „Mitologii”
Hebrew Translation of “Mythology"

Jan Parandowski’s, David Lazer’s and David Ben Gurion’s Letters

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the correspondence of David Lazer and Jan Parandowski with David Ben Gurion about a Hebrew translation of Jan Parandowski’s “Mythology.” The authors of the letters are joined by their fondness of antiquity, Hellenic literature and the Greek language. Publication of source materials is preceded by a description of biographical data of the figures involved in the exchange of letters. Especially detailed presentation is given to David Lazer, the translator, a son of Simon Menahem Laser (an editor of “Ha-Micpe”). His life close to his father’s professional matters introduced David Lazer into the circle of eminent Jewish intellectuals of the turn of 19th and 20th c. The paper presents the connections of David Lazer with Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Hayim Nahman Bialik, Nahum Sokolow, Uri Zvi Greenberg, or Marc Chagall. Polish books reached Palestine with the subsequent waves of emigrants from the territory of Poland, though the revival of the Hebrew language and the forming of Jewish country propelled to the development of its own literature supplemented with translations from vernaculars. Inclusion of “Mythology” into the reading list in Hebrew was supported by the need to experience old great civilisations, the translator’s Hellenistic interest, as well as by commercial reasons. The number of reprints and scale of editions of “Mythology” in Poland and a great proportion of Poles in Israel ensured wide readership and financial success of the translation. The events presented in the article connected with the edition of “Mythology” offer the reader an insight into broadly understood problems of Polish literature in Israel and show a picture of Jewish society turning into Hebrew culture.

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