Ludovic Lazar Zamenhof, MD (1859–1917) is honored best by those who speak his language. Soon after its publication in Russia, in 1887, Lingvo Internacia, became known by its author’s pseudonym — Dr. Esperanto: the ‘hoping one,’ from esperi, to hope. His linguistic prescription for peace is the only one of many such projects to come alive.
A Jewish ophthalmologist in Warsaw, Zamenhof hoped to transcend communication barriers in the service of ideals expressed by Hillel two thousand years ago. The first of eight children, Zamenhof grew up in Bialystok, where Poles, Russians, Germans and Jews lived together but not in harmony. As a boy he learned from his parents and his religion that all men are brothers but, in the streets, voices with different accents were raised against one another.
[Content continues chronologically through Zamenhof’s life, the development of Esperanto, its growth and challenges, until his death in 1917. The article concludes with modern developments, including Esperanto’s current status with dozens of periodicals, websites, and the Universala Esperanto Asocio’s ongoing activities.]