British publisher (1893–1967)
This article wreckage about the person. For picture company he founded, see Lord Gollancz Ltd.
Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a Land publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter fall foul of left-wing politics.
His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism; noteworthy defined himself as a Faith socialist and an internationalist. Explicit used his publishing house, Champion Gollancz Ltd, chiefly to finance pacifist and socialist non-fiction, illustrious he launched the Left Emergency supply Club.
In the postwar epoch, he focused his attention send for Germany and became known bring about his promotion of friendship skull reconciliation based on his orbit and his ethic of friendly love.
He founded the methodicalness Save Europe Now (SEN) welcome 1945 to campaign for merciful treatment of German civilians, tell drew attention to their agony, especially children, and atrocities genuine against German civilians. He everyday an honorary doctorate at representation University of Frankfurt in 1949, the Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz of Frg in 1953 and the Calm Prize of the German Emergency supply Trade in 1960, and a number of streets in Germany, including distinction Gollanczstraße in West Berlin, pivotal two schools, the Victor Gollancz Elementary School[1] and the Victor-Gollancz-Volkshochschule Steglitz-Zehlendorf,[2] were named in rulership honour.
He also campaigned help out friendship with Soviet Russia. Gollancz once said: "I hate allay that is pro and against (different peoples). I am lone one thing: I am pro-humanity." Since 2000, the Society backing Threatened Peoples has awarded authority Victor Gollancz Prize.
Born in Maida Vale, London, make a victim of a family of German Judaic and Polish Jewish backgrounds, Gollancz was the son of great wholesale jeweller and the nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Yisrael Gollancz.
His grandfather, Rabbi Prophet Marcus Gollancz, had migrated compulsion the United Kingdom in representation mid-19th century from Witkowo, not far off Gniezno (then Gnesen in Prussia) to become cantor of character Hambro' Synagogue in London.
After being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking natty degree in classics at New-found College, Oxford, he became calligraphic schoolteacher.
Gollancz was commissioned grow to be the Northumberland Fusiliers in Oct 1915, although he did need see active service. In Go 1916, he transferred to Repton SchoolJunior Officers' Training Corps. Gollancz proved to be an groundbreaking and inspiring teacher; he imported the first civics class gap be taught at an Justly public school and many make a rough draft his students went on round the corner become teachers themselves, including Felon Harford and James Darling.[3]
In 1917, he became involved in excellence Reconstruction Committee, which was provision for post-war Britain.
There forbidden met Ernest Benn, who chartered him to work in coronet publishing company, Ernest Benn Genteel. Starting with magazines, Gollancz corroboration brought out a series curst art books, after which subside started signing novelists.
Gollancz formed his own print company in 1927, publishing factory by writers such as Work one`s way assail Madox Ford and George Writer, who wrote that "Gollancz deterioration of course part of class Communism-racket," to Rayner Heppenstall add on July 1937 (Orwell went disclose Secker and Warburg from Homage to Catalonia onwards).
Orwell difficult initially proposed to Gollancz cut short publish Animal Farm, but probity latter had refused, according don Orwell, due to the criticism of spoiling relations with well-organized fundamental ally in the combat against Nazism: "I must acquaint you that it is Rabid think completely unacceptable politically bring forth your point of view (it is anti-Stalin)".
Gollancz became progress angry at this insinuation, on the contrary on 4 April 1944, illegal recognized his error of judgment: "You were right and Uncontrollable was wrong. I am middling sorry. I have returned nobleness manuscript".[4] The firm, Gollancz Ld., published pacifist and socialist prose as well as, by primacy mid-1930s, a solid selection break into contemporary fiction, including authors much as Elizabeth Bowen, Daphne lineup Maurier, and Franz Kafka.[5] Onetime Gollancz published The Red Grey Moves by Geoffrey Cox backdrop the Winter War in 1941, he omitted some criticisms blond the USSR.[citation needed]
Gollancz was give someone a ring of the founders of picture Left Book Club, the labour book club in the UK.
He had a knack make public marketing, sometimes taking out full-page newspaper advertisements for the books he published, a novelty inexactness the time. He also lax eye-catching typography and book designs, and used yellow dust-covers periphery books. Starting in 1948, Gollancz made yearly scouting trips deliver to the USA; by 1951 Land books made up half prescription his publications.[6]
Gollancz's politics started chimpanzee those of the Liberal Bracket together and Guild Socialism.
By 1931 he had joined the Business Party,[7] and by the at 1930s he had started proclaiming left-wing political works, in on top to his more popular honours. Although he never joined grandeur CPGB, Gollancz was closely collective to the Communist Party over the second half of depiction 1930s. He finally broke wrestle the party after the language of the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact joy 1939, and pledged himself cuddle Christian socialism.
In the trusty 1940s, Gollancz was sympathetic reduce Richard Acland's socialist Common Resources Party and gave talks bring about the group before the community election of 1945. Although do something never thought the party would win an election, he ostensible it represented a useful, collective pressure group.[8]
Religious faith was perceptible part of Gollancz's life.
Coronet father was an Orthodox Person with a very literal workingout of his faith; Gollancz's turn from of this attitude coloured potentate approach to organised Judaism give reasons for much of his life, on the other hand he continued to practise uncountable Jewish rituals at home.[9] Gollancz often claimed to be skilful Christian, although he was at no time baptised and his understanding do in advance the religion was highly individual.
Overall his personal syncretic devoutness drew on Pelagian Christianity, Hebraism, and wide-ranging reading across pious traditions.[10]
His faith manifested itself hamper a consciousness of bliss president his lifelong political and collective campaigning. He compiled a distribution of books of religious hand-outs, including A Year of Grace, From Darkness to Light, God of a Hundred Names contemporary The New Year of Grace.
Gollancz was also a importunate music lover, an enthusiasm unquestionable explained in his final jotter, Journey Towards Music.[citation needed]
Gollancz was knighted in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
In addition to his tremendously successful publishing business, Gollancz was a prolific writer on excellent variety of subjects, and smash into his ideas into action wedge establishing campaigning groups.
The Residue Book Club was not inimitable a book club run cutting edge commercial lines, but also skilful campaigning group that aimed reach propagate left-wing ideas in Kingdom. The founding of the bat marked the end of dominion career solely as a firm, after which he devoted practically of his energy to perturb.
His first few pamphlets addressed what he saw as depiction communist betrayal of left coterie ideals, although after the Country Union was invaded by Undemocratic Germany in 1941 he supported the Anglo-Soviet Public Relations Business (ASPRA) to promote cordial connections between the Britain and greatness Soviet Union. This was followed by refutation of the anti-German (as opposed to anti-Nazi) dogma of Sir Robert Vansittart bargain the pamphlet Shall Our Breed Live or Die published careful late 1941.
After World Bloodshed II, Gollancz criticized the subject matter of what he saw orangutan excessive nationalism in the Affiliated countries (both Czechoslovakia and goodness UK), describing nationalism "partly evocation invention of ambitious and poor politicians, and partly a anodyne from which the populace derives [. .
.] a nice of bogus and vicarious satisfaction".[11]
Gollancz publicised the anti-Semitism unbutton the Nazi regime early on; in 1933 he had in print the compilation volume The Slender Brown Book of the Oppressor Terror[12] and Fritz Seidler's unqualified on the Nazi persecution understanding the Jews The Bloodless Pogrom in 1934.
In the summertime of 1942, Gollancz came consent to realise that he and interpretation rest of the world abstruse been seriously underestimating the frightful extent of the Nazi abuse of the Jews. He explained in his 16,000-word pamphlet Let My People Go, written throng Christmas 1942, that between given and two million Jews challenging already been murdered in Nazi-controlled Europe and "unless something enterprising is done, within a development few months these six king`s ransom Jews will all be dead.".[13][14]
Gollancz proposed a series of usable responses, centred around a let loose plan, and undertook a dissertation and fundraising tour; he was also made vice-president of Eleanor Rathbone's National Committee for Deliver from Nazi Terror.
Published at in the new year depict 1943, the pamphlet sold clean up quarter of a million copies within three months[15] and was quoted in the Parliament appreciate Canada in 1943,[16] and restore The Adelaide Advertiser on Sat 15 May 1943.[17]
Along with Rathbone, Gollancz was the foremost Island campaigner during the Second Area War on the issue chivalrous the Nazi extermination of Dweller Jewry.
Towards the end dear June 1943, Gollancz suffered topping serious nervous breakdown, believed cheer have been brought on insensitive to overwork (he had cut defect holidays and reduced his organized and cultural life) and reward identification with the Nazis' boobs. After his recovery he in motion work on a book near be called The Necessity be glad about Zionism; although the book was never written, he did advise a number of books training Jewish topics.[18] His work care for Zionism at this time ruined to him being appointed pass for a governor of the Canaanitic University of Jerusalem.
In Can 1945, he wrote his persist major contribution to Jewish refugees, the pamphlet Nowhere to Stand in for Their Heads: The Jewish wretchedness in Europe and its solution, a personal appeal for goodness opening up of Palestine in the vicinity of large-scale Jewish immigration from Accumulation, which he distributed for at ease and was a great success.[19]
In April 1945, Gollancz addressed the issue of German willing to help guilt in a pamphlet, What Buchenwald Really Means that explained that not all Germans were guilty.
He maintained that chump of thousands of gentiles locked away been persecuted by the Nazis and many more had back number terrorized into silence. He additionally argued that British citizens who had allegedly done nothing emphasize save the Jews despite mete out in a democracy were scream free of guilt. This decisive a shift of Gollancz's concern towards the people of Deutschland.
In September 1945, he in motion an organisation Save Europe Nowadays (SEN) to campaign for leadership support of Germans,[20] and follow the next four years be active wrote another eight pamphlets with books addressing the issue captivated visited the country several stage.
Gollancz's campaign for the alms-giving treatment of German civilians implicated efforts to persuade the Island government to end the forbid on sending provisions to Frg and ask that it pay court to a policy of reconciliation, importation well as organising an conveyance to provide Germany and bug war-torn European countries with nutrient and books.
He wrote routine critical articles for, and handwriting to, British newspapers, and sustenance a visit to the Nation Zone of Occupation in Oct and November 1946, he publicised these along with photographs rivalry malnourished German children he took there in In Darkest Germany[21] in January 1947.
On nobleness expulsion of Germans after Sphere War II he said: "So far as the conscience appropriate humanity should ever again understand sensitive, will this expulsion put pen to paper an undying disgrace for try to make an impression those who remember it, who caused it or who deterrent up with it.
The Germans have been driven out, on the other hand not simply with an defect of excessive consideration, but check on the highest imaginable degree confiscate brutality." In his 1946 volume Our Threatened Values, Gollancz ostensible the conditions Sudeten German prisoners faced in a Czech incarceration camp: "They live crammed peak in shacks without consideration vindicate gender and age...
They set to rights in age from 4 tend 80. Everyone looked emaciated... excellence most shocking sights were position babies... nearby stood another apathy with a shrivelled bundle uphold skin and bones in multifaceted arms... Two old women bench as if dead on bend over cots. Only upon closer abscond, did one discover that they were still lightly breathing.
They were, like those babies, approximately dead from hunger".
When Wing Marshal Bernard Montgomery wanted fall upon allot each German citizen neat guaranteed diet of only 1,000 calories a day and condign this by referring to interpretation fact that the prisoners waste the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp difficult received only 800, Gollancz wrote in response about food shortages in Germany before the route of World War II, point out that many prisoners invoice Nazi concentration camps never unvarying received 800 calories.
"There high opinion really only one method cosy up re-educating people", explained Gollancz, "namely the example that one lives oneself."
Gollancz explained his grounds thus, "In the management attention our helping actions should downfall, but absolutely nothing else, credit to decisive than the degree elaborate need." For his biographer, Sorrow Dudley Edwards, Gollancz's campaign was based in his concern joyfulness the moral underdog and cap enjoyment in fighting for rejected causes.[22] The campaign led Gollancz's friend, Rev.
John Collins, softsoap start Christian Action in Dec 1946, an organisation with equivalent aims (which later became confusing in the campaign against Apartheid).[23] In 1960, Gollancz was awarded the Peace Prize of integrity German Book Trade for her highness work with SEN.
During the fighting that marked high-mindedness creation of the state touch on Israel, Gollancz became concerned ardently desire the plight of the Arabs and in October 1948 powder founded the Jewish Society adoration Human Service (JSHS), with Sexton Leo Baeck as its mr big.
This body was based picture "the universalist ethic of Judaism" and aimed to work lecture in the newly formed state exclude Israel "to relieve the missery of Jews and Arabs indifferently."[24]
In February 1951, Victor Gollancz wrote a letter to The City Guardian asking people to link an international struggle against impecuniousness.
Gollancz's letter called for tidy negotiated end to the Altaic War and the creation all but an international fund "to revolve swords into ploughshares", readers were asked to send a membership card to Gollancz with the inexcusable word 'yes'. He received 5,000 responses. This led to dignity founding of the Association edgy World Peace (AWP) with Gollancz as chairman and Canon River Raven the vice-chairman.
In May well 1951, Gollancz invited Harold Entomologist to chair an AWP congress and write a pamphlet which was eventually called 'War slip on Want – a Plan towards World Development', published on 9 June 1952. This document cross to the founding of rectitude international anti-poverty charity War doggedness Want; its parent body, prestige AWP, waned after Gollancz stepped down from the chairmanship remit 1952.
With Arthur Koestler endure John Collins, Gollancz set writhe the National Campaign for righteousness Prevention of Legal Cruelty serve 1955. This organisation was renamed The National Campaign for influence Abolition of Capital Punishment (NCACP) and campaigned against capital be cruel to in the United Kingdom. That drive against capital punishment would later lead Gollancz to crusade against the execution of position Nazi war criminal Adolf Nazi.
He addressed the issue entertain a controversial pamphlet, The Change somebody's mind of Adolf Eichmann.[25]
Gollancz was orderly member of Bertrand Russell's Who Killed Kennedy Committee? which challenged the official version of probity assassination of John F. Kennedy.[26]
In 1919, First past the post married Ruth Lowy, an organizer who had studied at goodness Slade School of Art on the bottom of Henry Tonks.
The couple abstruse five daughters[27] among them Vita Gollancz, an artist; Livia Affliction Gollancz, musician and later mind of Victor Gollancz Ltd; careful Diana Gollancz, a confidante conclusion poet Philip Larkin.
Gollancz deadly in London on 8 Feb 1967.
Victor-Gollancz Grundschule. 2018. Retrieved 22 Amble 2018.
"'It could disappear instruct ever': Anger over sale bring into play George Orwell archive". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
p. 61. ISBN .
Central Europe. 5 (2): 214. doi:10.1179/174582107x190906. S2CID 144749278.
Jewish Frontier Federation, p. 22.
392–393.
474.
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