Literature and Memory: The Correspondence between Marc Chagall and David Lazer

Abstract The present article explores the decades-long correspondence between Marc Chagall and David Lazer. Born in Kraków, Lazer was the son of a Hebraist who edited a respected Jewish journal. Following in his father’s footsteps, David was the editor-in-chief of the Nowy Dziennik, a Polish-language Zionist weekly. After immigrating to Palestine, he co-founded the Israeli newspaper Maariv and served as the editor of its literary supplement. The journalist had a true passion for literary journeys, which were the backdrop for many of the works he penned. Some of these pieces were devoted to the cultural heritage of European Jewry, including the life and enterprise of Marc Chagall. In the pages ahead, we will take stock of the relationship between these two figures. The paper also unfurls the story behind Jerzy Ficowski’s “A Letter to Marc Chagall” as well as the painter’s illustrations for this harrowing poem. In addition, we unveil the original manuscript of a speech that Chagall gave at the dedication of his stained-glass windows for the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem.