Shmuel Werses
Shmuel Werses (1915-2010), one of the greatest researchers of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) literature was a professor of Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University and the recipient of the Israel Prize in 1989.
Shlomo Werses was born in Vilna. After he graduated from Tarbut high school he began studying at the University of Vilna. From the age of 14 to 19 he volunteered at YIVO (Institute for Jewish Research) and during that period he tried his hand at writing under the penname "a yunger" (a youngster). Some of the stories written in Yiddish were published in Jewish newspapers in Vilna and Warsaw. In 1935 he made aliyah to Israel and continued studying Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University. He completed his doctorate at the university and was greatly influenced by the renowned Professor Joseph Klausner. His MA thesis, entitled The Period of Hebrew Enlightenment in Vilna (the Hebrew writers in the generation of Ramag and Avraham Dov Ber Lebensohn [Adam Hacohen]) was 316 handwritten pages long; it was presented to Professor Klausner in 1939. Professor Simha Assaf was his mentor for his doctoral dissertation; it was entitled Studies in the Literature of Ethics of the Jews in Spain: from the beginning of the 13th century to the end of the 15th century. He was awarded a Ph. D. in 1947.
Before the establishment of the State of Israel he lectured at a Teachers' Seminar in the detention camp in Cyprus; he also lectured adult youth leaders there. After the establishment of Israel he taught immigrant soldiers Hebrew literature.
In 1953 he joined the teaching staff of the Department of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University and in 1967 was appointed associate professor, becoming a full professor in 1975. During the 1970's he was Head of the Department. He was a visiting professor at the universities of Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and Haifa, retiring in 1983.
Shmuel Werses' studies encompass Jewish literature over a period of 200 years from the beginning of the Jewish Enlightenment Movement until the middle of the 20th century. One of the genres he studied was the reciprocal translations between Yiddish and Hebrew literature of the great writers and poets of the period.
Werses is one of the greatest researchers of the literature of the Enlightenment; the genres included rhymed poetry, satire, humorous sketches, autobiographies and novels. He described the Enlightenment's orientation to Hassidut and the Sabbateans and its relation to general European literature. He studied the leading writers of the Enlightenment as well as summarizing the research history of the movement.
Werses studied classical Hebrew Literature. He examined the changes in subject matter and features of the literature. He also studied the folklorist and mythical sources that this literature drew upon through the works of the giants of this literature: Bialik, Feuerberg, Berdichevski, Haim Hazaz and Shai Agnon. He studied the history of Hebrew publications from Hameassef to Hebrew newspapers published in Poland between the two World Wars and even carried out some research on contemporary Hebrew literature.
His first wife, Rachel, passed away in 1941. They had one daughter, Devora Elran. His second wife, Esther Caspi, was a poet and translator.
His personal archives included personal documents, diaries, notebooks, correspondence, rough drafts and notes (as well as Esther Caspi's material) was handed over to the Department of Archives of the National Library.
Shmuel Werses passed away in October, 2010 in Jerusalem.
Translated from : Wikipedia
He served as one of the editors of the three-volume Pinkas vilna (Records of Vilna) published in Tel Aviv.
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