Golman (Glan) Yakov

Golman (Glan) Yakov (1894—1970) – translator, journalist.

He learnt at the gymnasium of the town of Mogilev, the Mogilev Province (since 1907), learnt by himself as well. In 1910, he assigned to the Moscow University. In 1918, he moved to the town of Morshansk, where he worked as lecturer of the People’s Commissariat for Education (under the pseudonym of M.N. Putintsev).

In 1920, he returned to Moscow, where he was arrested for the first time; he was under the arrest till 1922. Since mid-1920-s, he has worked for various newspapers, and magazines, including those of the League of Militant Atheists, ‘Bezbozhnik’ (Atheist) Magazine, and ‘Ateist’ Publishing House, and also he wrote as historiographer, bibliographer, and translator. His main pseudonym was Ya. M. Glan.

In November 1939, he was arrested for the second time, and accused on the article 58 of the Criminal Code for five years of camp; he was sent to the Karlag (Kazakhstan). In 1944, he got freedom, in 1946 only, he was able to go out of the Karlag zone. He worked in the town of Kashin, Moscow Region. In 1949, he was arrested for the third time, and sent for ten years to the camp in Taishet. He got freedom in 1956, later he was rehabilitated.

For the ‘Ateist’ Publishing House he translated works by the most important authors in the sphere of the religious anthropology (J. Frazer, E. Tylor, L. Levy-Brule). The book ‘The Primitive Culture’ by E. Tylor was published in Russian without the name of the translator, because he was under the arrest. According the information of his relatives, on the same reason, the book ‘The Origin of Religion’ (Moscow, 1940) was published with the name of only one of the translators, V.C. Nikolsky, without mentioning of G. Nowadays, the annotated bibliographical index of the Soviet antireligious literature of 1917—1932, compiled by G., is of an importance for specialists.

Compositions

Glan Y. М., and Kononov А.Т. Antireligious Propaganda at School. Moscow: ‘Transpechat’ Publishing House, 1926. (in Rus.)
Glan Y. М. A Bookshelf of the Atheist-Activist. Moscow-Leningrad: ‘Krashy Proletary’ Typography, 1929. (in Rus.)
Glan Y. М. Contemporary Writers of the West. Reference-book. Moscow: ‘Ogoniok’ Publishing House, 1927. (2nd publ.. 1928) (in Rus.)
Glan Y. М. Antireligious Literature. Annotated Systematic Index of Books, Booklets, and Magazine Articles on the Issues of Religion and Antireligious Propaganda. Moscow: ‘Bezbozhnik’ Publishing House, 1930-1932. – 3 vol. (in Rus.)
The Text-Book on the History of Atheism / Comp. Ya. Glan; edit. А.Т. Lukachevsky. Moscow- Leningrad: ‘Moscovsky rabochy’ Publishing House, 1931. (in Rus.)
Assault at Heavens: Thoughts on Religion. Fragments and Aphorisms. (1000 Aphorisms by 300 Authors) / Comp. Ya. Glan; edit. and introd. А.Т. Lukachevsky. Moscow: GAIZ, 1932. (in Rus.)
K. Marx and F. Engels. On Religion and Struggle against It / Comp. Ya. M. Glan, V.C. Nilolsky; Moscow: GAIZ, 1933. (in Rus.)
K. Marx and F. Engels. Religion is the Opium for People. Selected Fragments on Religion and Struggle against It / Comp. Ya. Glan. Edit. and introd. А. Т. Lukachevsky, - in 2 vol. Moscow: GAIZ, 1933. (2nd publ, 1933, in 1 vol.). (in Rus.)

Translations:

G. Frazer. The Golden Bow / Introd. Prof. P.F. Preobrazhensky. Moscow: Soceity ‘Atheist’ Publishing House, 1928. (in Rus.)
G. Frazer. The Golden Bow / Transl. Ya. M. Glan, checked on the complete 12-vol. publ. 1911 – 1915 by Prof. А.А. Zakharov; edit. and introd. Prof. V.C. Nikolsky. Moscow- Leningrad: OGIZ — ‘Moscovsky rabochy’ Publishing House, 1931. (in Rus.)
L. Levy-Brule. Primitive Mentality / Transl. from French Ya. M. Glan, edit. Prof. V.C. Nikolsky, and А.V. Kissin; introd. By Chief Editor of ‘Atheist’, Acad. N.Ya. Marr, Prof. V.C. Nikolsky, and the author (specially for the Russian publ.). Moscow: Atheist Publishing House, 1930. (in Rus.)
Revolutionary Unity Wins Everything: Minutes of the IV Congress of the International of Proletarian Free-Thinkers in Bodenbach-Czechin (Czekoslovakia) 14-15/XI. 1931. / Transl. from Germ. Ya. Glan. Moscow: ‘Moscovsky rabochy’ Publishing House, 1931. (in Rus.)
The Origin of Religion in Understanding of Bourgeois Scholars. Coll. of articles by М. Halbwachs, G. Frazer, F. Lehmann, and C. Clemen / Transl. Ya. M. Glan; edit. А.Т. Lukachevsky. Moscow: ‘Moscovsky rabochy’ Publishing House, 1932. (in Rus.)
G. Mains. Spain in Flame / Transl. from Germ. Ya. Glan; introd. М. Sheynmann. Moscow: ‘Moscovsky rabochy’ Publishing House, 1931. (in Rus.)
E. B. Tylor. Primitive Culture / Transl. from Engl. / Edit, and introd. [The Place of Edward Tylor in the Studying of the Primitive Culture, с. III-XXX] and comm. V.C. Nikolsky. Moscow: Sotsecgiz Publishing House, 1939. (in Rus.)
L. Levy-Brule. The Mystic Experience and Primitive Symbolism. Primitive Mythology. The Mythic World of Australians and Papuans / Transl. from French; introd. V.C. Nikolsky. Moscow: GAIZ, 1937. (in Rus.)

About him

Memoris on GULAG, and their authors https://www.sakharov-center.ru/asfcd/auth/?t=author&i=1586
Chernavsky S. Ya. Letters by А.А. Chernavskaya and Ya.М. Golman / Moscow, Vladykino, Karaganda, Taishet. Letters under Censoring, 1940—1956 / Comp. О.Ya. Golman, S.Ya. Chernavsky. Moscow: ‘Vozvrashchenie’ Publishing House, 2011. 328 p. (in Rus.)

M. Sh.