L. L. Zamenhof

L. L. Zamenhof
Zamenhof, c. 1895
Born	Leyzer Zamengov (1859-12-15)15 December 1859 Belostok, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire (now Białystok, Poland)
Died	(1917-04-14)14 April 1917 (aged 57) Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland
Burial place	Jewish Cemetery, Warsaw 52°14′51″N 20°58′29″E
Occupation	Ophthalmologist
Known for	Esperanto
Spouse	Klara Zamenhof ​ (m. 1887)​
Children	Adam, Zofia, and Lidia
Awards	Legion of Honour - Officer (1905)
Writing career
Pen name	Dr. Esperanto
Notable works	Unua Libro (1887) Dua Libro (1888) Fundamento de Esperanto (1905)
Signature

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof (/ˈzæmənhɒf/; Polish: Ludwik Łazarz Zamenhof, Yiddish: לײזער לֵוִי זאַמענהאָף; 15 December [O.S. 3 December] 1859 – 14 April [O.S. 1 April] 1917), credited as L. L. Zamenhof and sometimes as the pseudonymous Dr. Esperanto, was an eye doctor, linguist (who creates a language), and scholar who created the international language Esperanto.

Biography

Zamenhof was born in 1859 in the town of Białystok, Poland. At the time, Poland was a part of the Russian Empire. Bialystok contained three major groups: Poles, Belorussians, and Yiddish-speaking Jews. Zamenhof thought that one common language would join these groups and stop fights between them.

His first language was said to be Polish. His parents spoke Russian and Yiddish at home. His father was a German teacher, so Zamenhof learned that language from an early age and spoke the language fluently. Later he learned French, Latin, Greek, Hebrew and English. He also had an interest in Italian, Spanish and Lithuanian.

Zamenhof decided that the international language must have a simple grammar and be easier to learn than Volapük, an earlier international language. He attempted to create the international language with a grammar that was rich, and complex. The basics of Esperanto were published in 1887. He translated the Hebrew Bible into Esperanto.

His grandson, Louis-Christophe Zaleski-Zamenhof, was an engineer.

He was 14 times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize between 1907 and 1917.^[1]

References

1. "Nomination Database". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB. 2014. Retrieved 2018-01-13.