1899
Meir Avraham (Adolf) Munk (Nitra, 1830 –Oradea, 1907), a talented student, escaped the poverty of his childhood by working first as teacher then as a grain merchant in Oradea. However, he is best known as the author of My Life’s Histories, his autobiography written in classical Hebrew in 1899. The original Hebrew has been lost; this is the Hungarian translation of 1942. Munk’s memoir portrays with exceptional clarity the life of Jews in Western and Northwestern Hungary in the 19th century. Adolf Munk belonged to the moderate orthodox branch of Judaism identifying with both the concept of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) and more conservative religious ideas. His memoir reveals the Haskalah spirit by emphasizing subjects such as education and choice of spouse.