As described in my introductory post, “The Flight of the Albatross – Uri Zvi Greenberg and “Albatros””, this is the first of my three posts presenting the cover art and interior illustrations of Albatros.
This post focuses on the periodical’s premier issue, which was published in Warsaw in 1922.
The following description is from Foldari Books’ 2018 catalog:
“The first issue’s striking cover, a bird whose body incorporates the Hebrew letters of “albatross”, on wings that could be seen as the wavy surface of the ocean and chain of mountains, was created by Ze’ev Weintraub (Władysław; 1891–1942). This number is accompanied with a linoleum-cut by Marek Szwarc, and the pencil drawing on the rear cover. It includes three texts by Greenberg, a proclamation, an epic poem, and his manifesto to the opponents of the new poetry; Melekh Ravitch’s manifesto “Zibn tezn fun der nayer, naketer dikhtung” (Seven theses for the new naked poetry); Ze’ev Weintraub’s study on art; Henrik Berlewi’s essay on Viking Eggeling’s avant-garde films; and other works by Peretz Markish, Peretz Hirschbein (Perets Hirshbeyn) and Esther Shumaitcher.”
My photo of the cover, as published in the 1978 Jerusalem reprint…
…and, the cover of Foldari Books’ own (signed) copy. The page is, “…inscribed to Marek Szwarc the chief illustrator of the magazine in Yiddish, the prior “Szwarcn zu Gegebn“ and signed by seven contributors of “Albatros” and other members of the modern Yiddish movement: Grinberg, Daniel Leyb, Peretz Hirschbein, Yehezkel Moshe Neiman, Ze’ev Weintraub, Ber Horowitz and Esther Shumiatcher.”
Here’s the issue’s sole interior illustration, “In the Barn” by Marek Szwarc, on page 8…
…and, here’s the same illustration as displayed by Foldari, which gives a better impression of the quality of paper used in the periodical’s publication, and, the size of the linocut relative to entire page.
Here’s the back cover of Foldari’s copy, which features an illustration, “…in pencil by Szwarc, [with] three figures holding hands, the middle one embraces a Torah scroll, second issues’ rear cover is also amended in pencil with two figures and a head.”
An acknowledgement…
I’d like to thank my friend Naomi for Yiddish-to-English translation of the title of the Szwarc linocut: “Thanks, Naomi!”