Mike Gold (1893-1967), novelist, essayist, dramatist, poet and editor, was the leading advocate of leftist, “proletarian” literature in the United States between the world wars. Hisacclaimed autobiographical novel of 1930,

Jews Without Money

, is a vivid and historically important account of early twentieth century Jewish immigrant life in the tenements of Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Gold was born Itzhok Granich in New York in 1893, the son of impoverished Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Growing up in the slums, he quit school at age 12 to help support his family with a series of menial jobs. In 1914, Gold became involved in the labor movement when, after losing his job as a factory worker and shipping clerk, he wandered into a protest rally in New York’s Union Square and heard

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Citation: Chura, Patrick. "Michael Gold". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 August 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1785, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1785 Michael Gold 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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