LAUB, GABRIEL

LAUB, GABRIEL (1928–1998), Czech writer of aphorisms and humorous and satirical stories, journalist, and translator. Born in Bochnia, Poland, Laub and his family fled to the Soviet Union to escape the approaching Germans. He went to Prague in 1946, where he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism. Until 1968 he worked as a journalist and editor of literary magazines. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia, he went to Germany, where he worked as a journalist and later as a writer. His Zkušenosti ("Experiences," 1967) was published in Czechoslovakia; his other books were first published abroad. These include Největší proces dějin ("The Greatest Trial of History," 1972, 1991); Leman Tehillah, Nashim ve-Behemot (1979); Denken verdirbt den Charakter (1984); Myšlení kazí charakter (1991); and two dozen other books in Czech, German, and Hebrew. His book Ein Lächeln zwischen den Zeilen was published after his death. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Slovník českých spisovatelů (2000); Slovník českých spisovatelů (1982). (Milos Pojar (2nd ed.)