ABSTRACT
External pressures are adduced as an explanation for the other forms of writing in which Der Nister engaged, in particular his journalistic work, including the sketches published in Hoyptshtet. It is possible to take the same line of argument when considering Der Nister's writing for children. In his recollections of Der Nister, the Yiddishist educator Abraham Golomb, who overlapped with him at Holte, remembers the author as a 'convinced Yiddishist' — and at the same time as a writer unusually reticent to speak about his art. It has been argued that Der Nister's symbolism was influenced by the Russian symbolist movement in its focus on aestheticism, decadence, pessimism and mysticism. In a similar move, central argument of this contribution is that there might be a more direct connection between Der Nister's symbolist output and his translations for children than commonly assumed. The creation of a work like Andersens Mayselekh suited both the personal and political needs of Der Nister.
