Isaac Leib Peretz (Polish: Icchok Lejbusz Perec, Hebrew: יצחק־לייבוש פרץ), also sometimes written Yitskhok Leybush Peretz, best known as I. L. Peretz (י"ל פרץ) was born in Poland. He worked as a lawyer before he fully gave himself to writing. His debut was at the age of 27 and he was the first Yiddish author to leave the sjtetl and use the big city, with its poverty, basement houses and factories, as a theme.
