View source for L. L. Zamenhof

{{For|other people with the same name|Zamenhof (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Person
| name =  Ludwik Łazarz Zamenhof
|image = 1908-kl-t-zamenhof.jpg
|size = 100px
|known_for     = Devising [[Esperanto]]
|caption = 
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1859|12|15|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Białystok]], [[Podlachia]], [[Russian Empire]] (now [[Poland]])
|ethnicity= [[Jews|Jewish]] 
|nationality = [[Russians|Russian]]-[[Poles|Polish]]
|citizenship = {{flag|Russian Empire}}
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1917|4|14|1859|12|15|mf=y}}
|birth_name    =  Leyzer Zamenhof
| death_place = [[Warsaw]], [[Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918)|Poland]]
}}
{{Esperanto sidebar |expanded=History}}
[[File:1905-uk-z-m.jpg|thumb|200px|Families Zamenhof and Michaux at the first Esperanto Congress, Boulogne 1905]]

'''Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof''' ({{pron-en|ˈzɑːmɨnhɒf}} in English; born ''Leyzer Leyvi Zamengov''<ref>[http://www.bialystok.ap.gov.pl/bit/50lat/boznicze_zamenhof1.jpg Birth Certificate N 47: "Leyzer Zamengov, son of Mordkha Fayvelovich Zamengov and Liba Sholemovna Sofer"]</ref>, December 15, 1859 &ndash; April 14, 1917) was an [[Ophthalmology|ophthalmologist]], [[philologist]], and the inventor of [[Esperanto]], a [[constructed language]] designed for international communication.

==Cultural background==
Zamenhof was born on December 15 (December 3 [[Old Style date|OS]]), 1859 in the town of [[Białystok]] in the [[Russian Empire]] (now part of [[Poland]]). He considered his native language to be his father's [[Russian language|Russian]]<ref>In a letter to a Th. Thorsteinsson dated 1901 [[March 08]] he wrote, ''Mia gepatra lingvo estas la rusa; sed nun mi parolas pli pole...'' "My mother tongue is Russian, but now I speak more Polish..." See also his biographers A. Zakrzewski and E. Wiesenfeld.</ref> (or perhaps [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], which was not considered distinct from Russian at the time and which appears to have had a strong influence on [[Esperanto phonology]]), but he also spoke his mother's [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] natively;<ref>Claude Piron, "Kontribuaĵo al la studo pri la influoj de la jida sur Esperanton", ''Jewish Language Review,'' 4, 1984 [http://user.in-berlin.de/~maxnet/esperanto/piron/jida.htm]</ref> as he grew older, he spoke more [[Polish language|Polish]], and that became the native language of his children. His father was a teacher of [[German language|German]], and he also spoke that language fluently, though not as comfortably as Yiddish. Later he learned [[French language|French]], [[Latin]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and [[English language|English]], and had an interest in [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]].

In addition to the Yiddish-speaking [[Jewish]] majority, the population of Białystok was made up of three other ethnic groups: [[Poles]], [[Germans]], and [[Belarusians]]. Zamenhof was saddened and frustrated by the many quarrels between these groups. He supposed that the main reason for the hate and prejudice lay in mutual misunderstanding, caused by the lack of one common [[language]] that would play the role of a neutral communication tool between people of different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.

==Work for an international language==
[[File:Zamenhof Minekov.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Zamenhof, relief by [[Ivan Minekov]], Bulgaria]]
As a student at secondary school in [[Warsaw, Poland|Warsaw]], Zamenhof made attempts to create some kind of international language with a grammar that was very rich, but also very complex. When he later studied English, he decided that the international language must have a simpler grammar. Apart from his parents' native languages [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Yiddish]] and his adopted language [[Polish language|Polish]], his linguistics attempts were also aided by his mastering of German, a good passive understanding of [[Latin language|Latin]], Hebrew and French, and a basic knowledge of Greek, English and Italian.<ref>Holzhaus, Adolf: Doktoro kaj lingvo Esperanto. Helsinki : Fondumo Esperanto. 1969</ref>

By 1878, his project ''Lingwe uniwersala'' was almost finished. However, Zamenhof was too young then to publish his work. Soon after graduation from school he began to study [[medicine]], first in Moscow, and later in Warsaw. In 1885, Zamenhof graduated from a [[university]] and began his practice as a doctor in [[Veisiejai]] and after 1886 as an [[Ophthalmology|ophthalmologist]] in [[Płock]] and [[Vienna]]. While healing people there he continued to work on his project of an international language.

For two years he tried to raise funds to publish a booklet describing the language until he received the financial help from his future wife's father. In 1887, the book titled as ''"Lingvo internacia. Antaŭparolo kaj plena lernolibro"'' (International Language. Foreword And Complete Textbook) was published under the [[pseudonym]] ''"Doktoro Esperanto,"'' or "Doctor Hopeful," from which the name of the language derives. For Zamenhof this language, far from being merely a communication tool, was a way of promoting the peaceful coexistence of different people and cultures.

==Work on Yiddish language and Jewish issues==

In 1879, Zamenhof wrote the first grammar of the Yiddish language, which he published in part years later in the Yiddish magazine "Lebn un visnshaft"<ref>''Life and Science'', [[Vilnius]], 1909; see Esperanto translation as ''Pri jida gramatiko kaj reformo en la jida'' in ''Hebreo el la geto: de cionismo al hilelismo'', Eldonejo Ludovikito, vol. 5, 1976</ref>. The complete original Russian text of this manuscript with parallel Esperanto translation was only published in 1982 (translated by Adolf Holzhaus in ''L. Zamenhof, provo de gramatiko de novjuda lingvo'', Helsinki, p.&nbsp;9-36). In this work, not only does he provide a review of Yiddish grammar, but also proposes its transition to the Latin script and other orthographic innovations. In the same period, Zamenhof wrote some other works in Yiddish, including perhaps the first survey of Yiddish poetics (see p.&nbsp;50 in the above-cited book).

In 1882, a wave of [[pogrom]]s in the Russian empire motivated Zamenhof to take part in the early Zionist movement, the [[Hovevei Zion|Hibbat Zion]].<ref name="maimon">{{cite journal
|author = N. Z. Maimon
|journal = Nica Literatura Revuo
|issue = 3/5
|month = May–June
|year = 1958
|title = La cionista periodo en la vivo de Zamenhof
|pages =  165–177
|url = http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/Literaturo/Revuoj/nlr/nlr35/cionistau.html
}}</ref> He left the movement in 1887, and in 1901 published a statement in Russian with the title ''Hillelism'', in which he argued that the Zionist project could not solve the problems of the Jewish people.<ref name="maimon"/>

In 1914, he politely declined an invitation to join a new organization of Jewish Esperantists, the TEHA. In his letter to the organizers, he said: "I am profoundly convinced that every nationalism offers humanity only the greatest unhappiness... It is true that the nationalism of oppressed peoples -- as a natural self-defensive reaction -- is much more excusable than the nationalism of peoples who oppress; but, if the nationalism of the strong is ignoble, the nationalism of the weak is imprudent; both give birth to and support each other..."<ref name="maimon"/>

Among the many works Zamenhof translated into Esperanto is the [[Hebrew Bible]] or Old Testament.

Zamenhof died in Warsaw on April 14, 1917, and is buried in the [[Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery]] in that city.

[[File:Zamenhof-grave-2007.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Zamenhof's grave at [[Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery]] in Warsaw, Poland.]]

==Religious philosophy==
{{main|Homaranismo}}
Besides his linguistic work, Zamenhof published a religious philosophy he called ''Homaranismo'' (loosely translated as [[humanitarianism]]), based on the principles and teachings of [[Hillel the Elder]].
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Esperanto-PM.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A stamp celebrating the 120th year of Esperanto, the portrait of Zamenhof was created using the text from the biography as appeared in the Esperanto Wikipedia. Israel 2007]] -->

==Children==

Zamenhof and his wife Klara raised three children: a son, [[Adam Zamenhof|Adam]], and two daughters, Sofia and [[Lidia Zamenhof|Lidia]]. All three were murdered in [[the Holocaust]].<ref>
{{cite book|title=Mind & Society Fads|first=Frank W.|last=Hoffmann|coauthors=William G. Bailey|year=1992|publisher=Haworth Press|isbn=1560241780}}, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1560241780&id=AzFuFjFwVSYC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&ots=0lcH7-WVKp&sig=QChd-EaXKt3N25bdqBVPTajyaWU p. 116]: "Between world wars, Esperanto fared worse and, sadly, became embroiled in political power moves. Adolf Hitler wrote in ''Mein Kampf'' that the spread of Esperanto throughout Europe was a Jewish plot to break down national differences so that Jews could assume positions of authority.... After the Nazis' successful Blitzkrieg of Poland, the Warsaw Gestapo received orders to 'take care' of the Zamenhof family.... Zamenhof's son was shot... his two daughters were put in Treblinka death camp."</ref>

[[Lidia Zamenhof]] in particular took a keen interest in Esperanto, and as an adult became a teacher of the language, traveling through Europe and to America to teach classes in it. Through her friendship with [[Martha Root]], Lidia accepted [[Bahá'u'lláh|Bahá’u’lláh]] and became a member of the [[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá’í faith]]. As one of its social principles, the Bahá’í faith teaches that an auxiliary world language should be selected by the representatives of all the world's nations.

==Name discrepancy==
[[File:Zamenhof awers.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Obverse of medal with Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof by [[Józef Gosławski (Polish sculptor)|Gosławski]] (1959)]]
Zamenhof's parents gave him the Hebrew name ''Eliezer'', which appeared on his birth certificate in its Yiddish form ''Leyzer''. In his adolescence he used both Leyzer and the Russian equivalent ''Lazar'' (the form ''Lazarus'' is often used in English texts). In some Russian documents Lazar was followed by the [[patronymic]] ''Markovich''.

While at university, Zamenhof began using the Russian name ''Lyudovik'' (often transcribed ''Ludovic''; Polish ''Ludwik''; in English the form ''Ludwig'' is also used) in place of Lazar. When his brother Leon became a doctor and started signing his name "Dr L. Zamenhof",<ref>{{cite journal
|last=Wincewicz
|first=Andrzej
|authorlink=
|coauthors=Sulkowska Mariola, Musiatowicz Marcin, Sulkowski Stanislaw
|year=[[2009]]|month=Jun.
|title=Laryngologist Leon Zamenhof--brother of Dr. Esperanto
|journal=[[American journal of audiology]]
|volume=18
|issue=1
|pages=3–6
|publisher= |location = [[United States]]| issn = 1059-0889| pmid = 18978199
|doi = 10.1044/1059-0889(2008/08-0002)
| bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
 }}</ref> Ludwik reclaimed his birth name Lazar and from 1901 signed his name "Dr L. L. Zamenhof". The two L's do not seem to have specifically represented either name, and the order ''Ludwik Lazar'' is a modern convention.

Zamenhof may have chosen the name Ludwik in honor of [[Francis Lodwick]] (or Lodowyck), who in 1652 had published an early [[conlang]] proposal.<ref>{{cite book |last=Umberto Eco & James Fentress  | title=The Search for the Perfect Language | publisher=Blackwell Publishing | page=324 | date=September 9, 1995  | isbn=0-631-17465-6 }}</ref>

His family name was written ''Samenhof'' in German orthography; ''Zamenhof'' is an Esperantized spelling.

==Honors and namesakes==

[[File:L.Zamenhof.jpg|thumb|left|150px|L. L. Zamenhof Statue in [[Prilep]], [[Republic of Macedonia]]]]
In 1910, Zamenhof was nominated for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], by four British [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (including [[James O'Grady]], [[Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden|Philip Snowden]]) and Professor Stanley Lane Poole.<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?action=show&showid=529 Nobel Prize nomnination database]</ref> (The Prize was instead awarded to the [[International Peace Bureau]].)

The [[minor planet]] [[1462 Zamenhof|(1462) Zamenhof]] is named in his honor. It was discovered on February 6, 1938 by [[Yrjö Väisälä]]. Also, hundreds of city streets, parks, and bridges worldwide have been named after Zamenhof<ref>See the [[:eo:Listo de ZEO-j|list of Zamenhof/Esperanto Objects]] on the wikipedia in Esperanto</ref>. In [[Lithuania]], the best-known Zamenhof Street is in [[Kaunas]], where he lived and owned a house for some time. There are others in France, [[Hungary]], Poland, the [[Czech Republic]], Spain (mostly in [[Catalonia]]), Italy, [[Israel]], and [[Brazil]]. There are Zamenhof Hills in Hungary and Brazil, and a Zamenhof Island in the [[Danube River]].<ref>[http://www.esperanto-sat.info/article187.html Hommages au Dr Zamenhof, à l’espéranto et à ses pionniers].</ref>

[[File:Zamenhof st.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Eliezer Zamenhof street in [[Tel Aviv]] with the street sign in Hebrew as well as Esperanto (written in Latin characters) it states he is the creator of the international language Esperanto.]] 
In some Israeli cities, street signs identify Esperanto's creator and give his birth and death dates, but refer to him solely by his Jewish name Eliezer (a variant of which, El'azar, is the origin of Lazarus). Zamenhof is honored as a deity by the Japanese religion [[Oomoto]], which encourages the use of Esperanto among its followers. Also, a genus of [[lichen]] has been named ''[[Zamenhofia rosei]]'' in his honour.<ref>[http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/fungi/Zamenhofia_rosei/more_info.html Zamenhofia rosei: Francis' lichen. Range, habitat, biology].</ref>

His birthday, December 15, is celebrated annually as [[Zamenhof Day]] by users of Esperanto. On December 15, 2009, Esperanto's [[Esperanto symbols|green-starred flag]] flew on the [[Google]] [[Google search|search]] web page, in a commemorative [[Google logo|Google Doodle]] to mark Zamenhof's 150th birthday.<ref>[http://www.google.com/logos/logos09-4.html Google logos 4thQ'09 archive page.] Retrieved 2010-04-01.</ref>

The house of the Zamenhof family, monument dedicated to Ludwik Zamenhof and Bialystok Esperanto Centre are sites of [[Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok]] which was opened in June 2008 by volunteers at [[The University of Bialystok Foundation]]<ref>[http://szlak.uwb.edu.pl/sites.html Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok] accessed July 25, 2009.</ref>. Those sites are also marked on [[Bialystok Trail of esperanto and many cultures]] which was opened in June 2009 by Landbrand company<ref>[http://www.odkryj.bialystok.pl Szlak esperanto i wielu kultur] accessed July 25, 2009.</ref>.

In the mystery novel ''[[The Yiddish Policemen's Union]]'' by [[Michael Chabon]], the hotel where Detective Landsman lives is called the Zamenhof.

Also, Dr. Zamenhof appears as a major character in Joseph Skibell's novel "[[A Curable Romantic]]" (Algonquin 2010).

== See also ==

* [[The Life of Zamenhof]]
* [[1462 Zamenhof]], a minor planet named in Zamenhof's honour
* [[1421 Esperanto]], another minor planet, similarly named

Also, Dr. Zamenhof appears as a major character in Joseph Skibell's novel "A Curable Romantic" (Algonquin 2010).

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite encyclopedia
 | last = Elwood | first =  Ann
 | title = Toward a Universal Language | encyclopedia= The Peoples Almanac
 | location = Garden City NY | publisher = Doubleday and Company | year = 1975 | isbn = 0-385-04060-1
}}
* Le Petit Robert: 'Zamenhof'. Paris; Montréal: Dictionnaires Le Robert, 1990.  ISBN 2-85036-074-0.
* {{cite book
 | last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D
 | title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names | edition =2
 | location = Berlin; New York | publisher =  Springer-Verlag | year = 1993 | isbn = 3-540-66292-8
}}
* {{cite journal | url= http://www.ima.org.il/imaj/ar07may-2.pdf
 |format=PDF| last=Wincewicz | first = A | coauthors =  M.  Sulkowska; S. Sulkowski
 | year = 2007  | pmid = 17591370
 | title=To heal the mind's eye of hate--Dr. Ludwik Zamenhof.
 | volume=9 | issue=5
 | journal = Isr Med Assoc J | pages=352–4
}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Korĵenkov | first = Aleksander
 | title = Homarano : La vivo, verkoj kaj ideoj de d-ro L.L.Zamenhof | edition =1
 | location = Kaliningrad; Kaunas | publisher = Sezonoj; Litova Esperanto-Asocio | year = 2009
 | isbn = 9786099508702 | pages=320
}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof}}
{{Wikisource author|Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof}}
* [http://en.lernu.net/biblioteko/pri_esperanto/zamenhof/index.php Zamenhof, Esperanto's founder] (in English) on [[lernu!]], an Esperanto study portal
* [http://www.esperantic.org/dosieroj/file/LLZ-Bio-En(1).pdf Zamenhof: The Life, Works, and Ideas of the Author of Esperanto] by Aleksandr Korzhenkov &ndash; a 53 pages scholarly text abridged from a 2009 book (in English)
* {{gutenberg author| id=L.+L.+Zamenhof | name=L. L. Zamenhof}} (in Esperanto)
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=20&letter=Z ZAMENHOF, LAZARUS LUDWIG] by Joseph Jacobs, Isidore Harris. [[Jewish Encyclopedia]], 1906 ed.
* [http://www.tnr.com/print/article/books-and-arts/ll-zamenhof-and-the-shadow-people L.L. Zamenhof and the Shadow People] by Esther Schor, ''[[The New Republic]]'', December 30, 2009

{{Persondata
|NAME=Zamenhof, Ludvic Lazarus
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ludwik Lejzer, Ludwik Łazarz
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Inventor of Esperanto
|DATE OF BIRTH={{birth date|1859|12|15|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH=Białystok, Russian Empire (now Poland)
|DATE OF DEATH=	{{death date|1917|4|14|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Warsaw]], [[Kingdom of Poland (1916-1918)|Kingdom of Poland]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamenhof, L. L.}}
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1917 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Białystok]]
[[Category:Jewish anti-Zionism]]
[[Category:Russian inventors]]
[[Category:Polish inventors]]
[[Category:Bible translators]]
[[Category:Esperantists]]
[[Category:Esperanto history]]
[[Category:Esperanto literature]]
[[Category:Language creators]]
[[Category:Ophthalmologists]]
[[Category:Polish linguists]]
[[Category:Russian linguists]]
[[Category:Polish Jews]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi Jews]]
[[Category:Lithuanian Jews]]
[[Category:Deified people]]
[[Category:Jewish inventors]]

{{Link GA|de}}
{{Link GA|eo}}

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[[si:එල්. එල්. සාමෙන්හොෆ්]]
[[simple:Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof]]
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[[th:แอล. แอล. ซาเมนฮอฟ]]
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