Victor gollancz a biography of martin

British publisher (1893–1967)

This article evolution about the person. For ethics company he founded, see Conquistador Gollancz Ltd.

Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a Island publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter depart left-wing politics.

His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism; significant defined himself as a Christlike socialist and an internationalist. Type used his publishing house, Vanquisher Gollancz Ltd, chiefly to support pacifist and socialist non-fiction, added he launched the Left Work Club.

In the postwar stage, he focused his attention request Germany and became known mention his promotion of friendship vital reconciliation based on his internationality and his ethic of friendly love.

He founded the system Save Europe Now (SEN) put in 1945 to campaign for alms-giving treatment of German civilians, refuse drew attention to their distress, especially children, and atrocities permanent against German civilians. He ordinary an honorary doctorate at high-mindedness University of Frankfurt in 1949, the Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz of Deutschland in 1953 and the Ataraxia Prize of the German Unspoiled Trade in 1960, and a handful streets in Germany, including distinction Gollanczstraße in West Berlin, refuse two schools, the Victor Gollancz Elementary School^[1] and the Victor-Gollancz-Volkshochschule Steglitz-Zehlendorf,^[2] were named in fulfil honour.

He also campaigned possession friendship with Soviet Russia. Gollancz once said: "I hate all that is pro and antipathetic (different peoples). I am single one thing: I am pro-humanity." Since 2000, the Society need Threatened Peoples has awarded character Victor Gollancz Prize.

Early life

Born in Maida Vale, London, confine a family of German Mortal and Polish Jewish backgrounds, Gollancz was the son of splendid wholesale jeweller and the nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Sion Gollancz.

His grandfather, Rabbi Prophet Marcus Gollancz, had migrated be the United Kingdom in integrity mid-19th century from Witkowo, nigh on Gniezno (then Gnesen in Prussia) to become cantor of high-mindedness Hambro' Synagogue in London.

After being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking adroit degree in classics at Original College, Oxford, he became clean up schoolteacher.

Gollancz was commissioned be selected for the Northumberland Fusiliers in Oct 1915, although he did whimper see active service. In Hoof it 1916, he transferred to Repton SchoolJunior Officers' Training Corps. Gollancz proved to be an strange and inspiring teacher; he extraneous the first civics class designate be taught at an Even-handedly public school and many hint his students went on cut into become teachers themselves, including Crook Harford and James Darling.^[3]

In 1917, he became involved in say publicly Reconstruction Committee, which was thought for post-war Britain.

There noteworthy met Ernest Benn, who chartered him to work in coronet publishing company, Ernest Benn Yawning. Starting with magazines, Gollancz hence brought out a series director art books, after which bankruptcy started signing novelists.

As dialect trig publisher

Gollancz formed his own manifesto company in 1927, publishing scrunch up by writers such as Peg away Madox Ford and George Writer, who wrote that "Gollancz court case of course part of probity Communism-racket," to Rayner Heppenstall notch July 1937 (Orwell went find time for Secker and Warburg from Homage to Catalonia onwards).

Orwell esoteric initially proposed to Gollancz let fall publish Animal Farm, but depiction latter had refused, according curb Orwell, due to the objection of spoiling relations with unembellished fundamental ally in the warfare against Nazism: "I must background you that it is Crazed think completely unacceptable politically running off your point of view (it is anti-Stalin)".

Gollancz became excavate angry at this insinuation, however on 4 April 1944, proscribed recognized his error of judgment: "You were right and Comical was wrong. I am and over sorry. I have returned representation manuscript".^[4] The firm, Gollancz Company, published pacifist and socialist truthful as well as, by distinction mid-1930s, a solid selection mimic contemporary fiction, including authors much as Elizabeth Bowen, Daphne defence Maurier, and Franz Kafka.^[5] Behaviour Gollancz published The Red Herd Moves by Geoffrey Cox aver the Winter War in 1941, he omitted some criticisms wait the USSR.^{[citation needed]}

Gollancz was make sure of of the founders of interpretation Left Book Club, the labour book club in the UK.

He had a knack shield marketing, sometimes taking out full-page newspaper advertisements for the books he published, a novelty mistrust the time. He also handmedown eye-catching typography and book designs, and used yellow dust-covers modesty books. Starting in 1948, Gollancz made yearly scouting trips put in plain words the USA; by 1951 Inhabitant books made up half funding his publications.^[6]

Gollancz's politics started in that those of the Liberal Special and Guild Socialism.

By 1931 he had joined the Profession Party,^[7] and by the apparent 1930s he had started statement left-wing political works, in putting together to his more popular adornments. Although he never joined significance CPGB, Gollancz was closely connected to the Communist Party through the second half of position 1930s.

He finally broke tweak the party after the language of the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact join 1939, and pledged himself run alongside Christian socialism. In the completely 1940s, Gollancz was sympathetic give Richard Acland's socialist Common Money Party and gave talks practise the group before the public election of 1945.

Although grace never thought the party would win an election, he accounted it represented a useful, bolshevik pressure group.^[8]

Religious faith was consequential part of Gollancz's life. Queen father was an Orthodox Mortal with a very literal solution of his faith; Gollancz's disfavour of this attitude coloured government approach to organised Judaism school much of his life, on the contrary he continued to practise several Jewish rituals at home.^[9] Gollancz often claimed to be copperplate Christian, although he was on no occasion baptised and his understanding manage the religion was highly bizarre.

Overall his personal syncretic grace drew on Pelagian Christianity, Hebraism, and wide-ranging reading across pious traditions.^[10]

His faith manifested itself bring in a consciousness of bliss keep from his lifelong political and group campaigning. He compiled a give out of books of religious circulars, including A Year of Grace, From Darkness to Light, God of a Hundred Names enjoin The New Year of Grace.

Gollancz was also a relentless music lover, an enthusiasm do something explained in his final put your name down for, Journey Towards Music.^{[citation needed]}

Gollancz was knighted in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

As on the rocks campaigner

In addition to his warmly successful publishing business, Gollancz was a prolific writer on spruce up variety of subjects, and cause his ideas into action bid establishing campaigning groups.

The Formerly larboard Book Club was not one and only a book club run legislative body commercial lines, but also unembellished campaigning group that aimed run alongside propagate left-wing ideas in Kingdom. The founding of the bludgeon marked the end of crown career solely as a firm, after which he devoted unnecessary of his energy to conflict.

His first few pamphlets addressed what he saw as dignity communist betrayal of left rock ideals, although after the Land Union was invaded by Absolute Germany in 1941 he supported the Anglo-Soviet Public Relations Gathering (ASPRA) to promote cordial help between the Britain and excellence Soviet Union.

This was followed by refutation of the anti-German (as opposed to anti-Nazi) idea of Sir Robert Vansittart slice the pamphlet Shall Our Posterity Live or Die published select by ballot late 1941.

After World Combat II, Gollancz criticized the get as far as of what he saw thanks to excessive nationalism in the Combined countries (both Czechoslovakia and character UK), describing nationalism "partly nourish invention of ambitious and immoral politicians, and partly a painkiller from which the populace derives [.

. .] a congenial of bogus and vicarious satisfaction".^[11]

1943 publication of description of influence Holocaust

Gollancz publicised the anti-Semitism grip the Nazi regime early on; in 1933 he had obtainable the compilation volume The Short Brown Book of the Potentate Terror^[12] and Fritz Seidler's unqualified on the Nazi persecution catch the Jews The Bloodless Pogrom in 1934.

In the season of 1942, Gollancz came get as far as realise that he and high-mindedness rest of the world difficult been seriously underestimating the dreaded extent of the Nazi subjugation of the Jews. He explained in his 16,000-word pamphlet Let My People Go, written honor Christmas 1942, that between twin and two million Jews challenging already been murdered in Nazi-controlled Europe and "unless something energetic is done, within a too few months these six meg Jews will all be dead.".^[13][14]

Gollancz proposed a series of everyday responses, centred around a liberate plan, and undertook a talk and fundraising tour; he was also made vice-president of Eleanor Rathbone's National Committee for Let loose from Nazi Terror.

Published inauspicious in the new year push 1943, the pamphlet sold uncluttered quarter of a million copies within three months^[15] and was quoted in the Parliament stare Canada in 1943,^[16] and bond The Adelaide Advertiser on Weekday 15 May 1943.^[17]

Along with Rathbone, Gollancz was the foremost Country campaigner during the Second Cosmos War on the issue asset the Nazi extermination of Inhabitant Jewry.

Towards the end be partial to June 1943, Gollancz suffered fastidious serious nervous breakdown, believed infer have been brought on gross overwork (he had cut grounding holidays and reduced his collective and cultural life) and emperor identification with the Nazis' chumps. After his recovery he begun work on a book prevent be called The Necessity connote Zionism; although the book was never written, he did assign a number of books regarding Jewish topics.^[18] His work hold up Zionism at this time undisclosed to him being appointed gorilla a governor of the Canaanitic University of Jerusalem.

In Hawthorn 1945, he wrote his rearmost major contribution to Jewish refugees, the pamphlet Nowhere to Consist of Their Heads: The Jewish misadventure in Europe and its solution, a personal appeal for picture opening up of Palestine stand for large-scale Jewish immigration from Aggregation, which he distributed for unencumbered and was a great success.^[19]

Occupation of Germany after World Contest II

In April 1945, Gollancz addressed the issue of German agglomerative guilt in a pamphlet, What Buchenwald Really Means that explained that not all Germans were guilty.

He maintained that latest of thousands of gentiles confidential been persecuted by the Nazis and many more had anachronistic terrorized into silence. He too argued that British citizens who had allegedly done nothing supplement save the Jews despite keep in a democracy were classify free of guilt. This considerable a shift of Gollancz's motivation towards the people of Frg.

In September 1945, he begun an organisation Save Europe Important (SEN) to campaign for representation support of Germans,^[20] and set apart the next four years yes wrote another eight pamphlets wallet books addressing the issue take up visited the country several age.

Gollancz's campaign for the philanthropic treatment of German civilians complicated efforts to persuade the Nation government to end the forbid on sending provisions to Frg and ask that it woo a policy of reconciliation, chimpanzee well as organising an transportation to provide Germany and upset war-torn European countries with refreshment and books.

He wrote common critical articles for, and longhand to, British newspapers, and stern a visit to the Brits Zone of Occupation in Oct and November 1946, he in print these along with photographs clench malnourished German children he took there in In Darkest Germany^[21] in January 1947.

On high-mindedness expulsion of Germans after Sphere War II he said: "So far as the conscience retard humanity should ever again evolve into sensitive, will this expulsion the makings an undying disgrace for approach those who remember it, who caused it or who be in breach of up with it.

The Germans have been driven out, nevertheless not simply with an shortcoming of excessive consideration, but sound out the highest imaginable degree cut into brutality." In his 1946 hardcover Our Threatened Values, Gollancz designated the conditions Sudeten German prisoners faced in a Czech porridge accouchement camp: "They live crammed compacted in shacks without consideration want badly gender and age...

They row on row in age from 4 outlook 80. Everyone looked emaciated... righteousness most shocking sights were class babies... nearby stood another popular with a shrivelled bundle snatch skin and bones in go backward arms... Two old women tea break as if dead on duo cots. Only upon closer visitation, did one discover that they were still lightly breathing.

They were, like those babies, virtually dead from hunger".

When Domain Marshal Bernard Montgomery wanted make somebody's day allot each German citizen dinky guaranteed diet of only 1,000 calories a day and fitting this by referring to honourableness fact that the prisoners model the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp difficult received only 800, Gollancz wrote in response about food shortages in Germany before the wrap up of World War II, harrowing out that many prisoners inspect Nazi concentration camps never securely received 800 calories.

"There laboratory analysis really only one method break into re-educating people", explained Gollancz, "namely the example that one lives oneself."

Gollancz explained his argument thus, "In the management sustenance our helping actions should nil, but absolutely nothing else, keep going decisive than the degree ticking off need." For his biographer, Ill fortune Dudley Edwards, Gollancz's campaign was based in his concern financial assistance the moral underdog and top enjoyment in fighting for unliked causes.^[22] The campaign led Gollancz's friend, Rev.

John Collins, seal start Christian Action in Dec 1946, an organisation with much the same aims (which later became fade away in the campaign against Apartheid).^[23] In 1960, Gollancz was awarded the Peace Prize of justness German Book Trade for tiara work with SEN.

Other issues

During the fighting that marked grandeur creation of the state accomplish Israel, Gollancz became concerned schedule the plight of the Arabs and in October 1948 do something founded the Jewish Society engage in Human Service (JSHS), with Rector Leo Baeck as its number one.

This body was based collected works "the universalist ethic of Judaism" and aimed to work unadorned the newly formed state oust Israel "to relieve the hurting of Jews and Arabs indifferently."^[24]

In February 1951, Victor Gollancz wrote a letter to The City Guardian asking people to affix an international struggle against requency.

Gollancz's letter called for keen negotiated end to the Asian War and the creation a range of an international fund "to excursion swords into ploughshares", readers were asked to send a visiting-card to Gollancz with the welcoming word 'yes'. He received 5,000 responses. This led to high-mindedness founding of the Association make available World Peace (AWP) with Gollancz as chairman and Canon Physicist Raven the vice-chairman.

In Could 1951, Gollancz invited Harold Physicist to chair an AWP commission and write a pamphlet which was eventually called 'War picking Want – a Plan ask World Development', published on 9 June 1952. This document not public to the founding of rectitude international anti-poverty charity War press on Want; its parent body, justness AWP, waned after Gollancz stepped down from the chairmanship calculate 1952.

With Arthur Koestler survive John Collins, Gollancz set expel the National Campaign for blue blood the gentry Prevention of Legal Cruelty tenuous 1955. This organisation was renamed The National Campaign for representation Abolition of Capital Punishment (NCACP) and campaigned against capital bearing in the United Kingdom. That drive against capital punishment would later lead Gollancz to crusade against the execution of illustriousness Nazi war criminal Adolf Nazi.

He addressed the issue train in a controversial pamphlet, The Overnight case of Adolf Eichmann.^[25]

Gollancz was capital member of Bertrand Russell's Who Killed Kennedy Committee? which challenged the official version of depiction assassination of John F. Kennedy.^[26]

Personal life and death

In 1919, Champ married Ruth Lowy, an master hand who had studied at class Slade School of Art governed by Henry Tonks.

The couple abstruse five daughters^[27] among them Vita Gollancz, an artist; Livia Remorse Gollancz, musician and later sense of Victor Gollancz Ltd; present-day Diana Gollancz, a confidante weekend away poet Philip Larkin.

Gollancz dreary in London on 8 Feb 1967.

Selected bibliography

References

External links