Yohanan Goldman's reply

As promised, below is the text of Mr. Goldman's reply to my mother, copied verbatim:

Yohanan Goldman
6, Absalom Haviv St.
Tel Aviv 69495; Tel:972-3-xxxxx
e-mal:ygoldman@xxxxxxx

April 27, 2006

Dear Mrs. Rimon,

Thank you for your deeply moving letter, which showed that there are people who still remember my work.

I had met Kishon while he was still unknown by the Hebrew-reading public. He was writing in the Hungarian-language Uj Kelet daily and I proposed to translate a few satires of his and try to place them with the Jerusalem Post. After a few trials, I succeeded. At the time, he and his first wife were living in an one-room apartment, with a landlady so stingy that according to him she even numbered the paper in the toilet roll. But even at that time, he was convinced and kept stating it, that he was the world's greatest humorist. Eventually he really became rich and famous, mainly in the German-speaking countries. The German translations were, of course, retranslations of my work. The cooperation with him continued for about 30 years and finally broke up for ideological reasons -- he wouldn't pay me what I felt he should. But we continued as friends until his death two years ago.

As your daughter, whom I greatly admire, has probably told you, translation work gives you a lot of satisfaction, especially if the source material is high quality. this is not always the case, but you always may console yourself with the illusion that you are improving it.

I wish you all the best, good health and a lot of joy in life,

Sincerely,

( - )
[Y Goldman]