Esperanto Movement
Bein was among the earliest adopters of Esperanto, the international language that had been created by a fellow Polish ophthalmologist, Ludwik Zamenhof. Bein became an eminent pioneer of Esperanto prose, writing under the pseudonym, "Kabe," an abbreviation of his actual name (and also the Polish pronunciation of his initials, "K.B."). In 1904 he gained fame with his translation of a 1900 novel by Wacław Sieroszewski, Dno nędzy (The Depths of Misery; Esperanto title: Fundo de l' Mizero).
In 1906 Bein became vice-president of the Academy of Esperanto. He had a profound influence on the language's early development. The highlights of his career were most likely his Esperanto translation of Bolesław Prus' historical novel, Faraon, and one of the first Esperanto dictionaries, Vortaro de Esperanto.
Bein is, however, probably best known for his sudden, comment-less 1911 disappearance from the Esperanto scene. Interviewed twenty years later, in 1931, by the Esperanto magazine, Literatura Mondo (World of Literature), he spoke of Esperanto's stalled progress, and said that he no longer regarded the language as a viable solution to the need for an international language.
Shortly after he had left the movement, Esperantists coined the word "kabei," after "Kabe," meaning "to fervently and successfully participate in Esperanto, then suddenly and silently drop out." The expression, "kabei," remains in use by Esperantists to this day.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bein, Kazimierz |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1872 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | June 15, 1959 |
| Place of death | |
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Read more about this topic: Kazimierz Bein
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