Hejmo » Beginners' Forums » All About Esperanto » Famous Esperantists
| Famous Esperantists [message #1418] |
Thu, 01 February 2007 23:47  |
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Well, I figured that this would be a little light hearted and also educate us about how many eminent people have learnt Esperanto. That way, we'll all have a list of respected people to recite to others who derogatorily snipe that 'no one speaks that Esperanto anyway.'
So it's straightforward. Simply post the name (and a pic if possible) of a person. If it's someone a little bit specialised, maybe adding a short paragraph on them would be a good idea, so that Clare isn't left confused 
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1422 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Fri, 02 February 2007 00:13  |
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Harold Wilson
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970 and 4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976)
He actually learned Esperanto when he was a boy during a Scout Jamboree in the Netherlands. Once he was retired he became the honorary chairman of the Trades Unions & Crafts Esperanto Group (TUCEG) in Britain.
During his political life, however, his knowledge of Esperanto was hidden, it not being seen as something desirable in a Prime Minister.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1475 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 14:38 |
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Alfred Hermann Fried
An Austrian, this prominent Esperantist from the early days won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911.
Rather than retype, I've stolen a biography from the Nobel Prize website:
Alfred Hermann Fried (November 11, 1864-May 5, 1921) was born in Vienna, but pursued most of his active journalistic career in Germany. Leaving school at the age of fifteen, he worked in his native city as a bookseller, then a few years later went to Berlin where he opened his own press in 1887.
Influenced by Bertha von Suttner, Fried became interested in the peace movement, founded the Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft [German Peace Society], and edited its major publication, Monatliche Friedenskorrespondenz [Monthly Peace Correspondence], from 1894 to 1899. Having persuaded Baroness von Suttner to serve as editor, he started a peace journal, naming it Die Waffen Nieder! [Lay Down Your Arms], the title of the Baroness' famous antiwar novel. In 1899 this was replaced by Die Friedenswarte [The Peace Watch], which he edited and which Norman Angell called «the most efficient periodical of the Pacifist movement in the world». This publication, which was addressed to an audience of intellectuals, has had a continuous history to the present time; edited by Fried until his death in 1921, then by Hans Wehberg, it was moved to Zürich in 1933. In 1905 Fried founded another journal, Annuaire de la vie internationale, which reflected his growing interest in international cooperation, particularly as exemplified by the Pan-American movement and the work of the Hague Conferences.
The peace literature which flowed from his pen - reports, editorials, essays, pamphlets, books - was extensive, but he also contributed to the cause his capacity as an organizer. He was a member of the Bern Peace Bureau, secretary of the International Conciliation for Central Europe, and secretary-general of the Union internationale de la presse pour la paix.
The Hague Peace Conference of 1899 was a turning point in the development of Fried's philosophy of pacifism. Thereafter, in his appeals to the German intellectual community he placed more reliance on economic cooperation and political organization among nations as bases for peace, and less upon limitation of armaments and schemes for international justice. «War is not in itself a condition so much as the symptom of a condition, that of international anarchy», he said. «If we wish to substitute for war the settlement of disputes by justice, we must first substitute for the condition of international anarchy a condition of international order.»
Fried's efforts were partly responsible for the founding of the Verband für internationale Verständigung [Society for International Understanding] in 1911. His theory of internationalism did not preclude nationalism. In the Pan-American movement he perceived a model for the preservation of national identity within international organization. In keeping with this position, Fried defended Germany before World War I by chronicling Wilhelm II's positive attitude toward world peace and during the war by refuting what he considered to be unreasonable criticism of Germany in the French, British, and American press.
Fried was in Vienna when war broke out in 1914. Since pacifist activities there were curtailed by government censorship and intolerant public opinion, Fried shifted his organizational and journalistic work to Switzerland. He was active in efforts to ameliorate the conditions of prisoners of war and continued to publish Die Friedenswarte as a rallying point for international peace efforts. Accused of treason by the Austrian government, he was unable to return to Vienna until the war's end.
The war over, Fried published Mein Kriegstagebuch [My War Journal], a «diary» which he kept during the war years to record his sentiments and his activities, along with those of his colleagues in the peace movement; he expressed dissatisfaction with the peace settlement and organized a journalistic campaign against the Versailles Treaty; he tirelessly pressed the point in his propaganda for peace that the war was proof of the validity of the pacifistic analysis of world politics.
Fried lost what wealth he possessed in the collapse of Austria-Hungary and died in poverty of a lung infection in Vienna at the age of fifty-seven.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1479 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 15:49 |
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Mi ne tro ŝatas diveni, sed la nomo skribiĝas tiamaniere, ke ĝi sugesas al mi, ke temas pri Stephen Thompson.
Malfeliĉe, Stephen-on mi neniam antaŭe vidis sen liphararo ... ĝis mia ĉi-minuta serĉado!
(Stephen Thompson, Malcolm Jones, Andrew Wheatley)
Vi sendube konas Stephen-on, Daniel ... li estas kaj la prezidanto kaj la sekretario de la Morecambe Bay Esperanto Society, kiu estas parto de la Nord-Okcidenta Esperanto-Federacio.
Stephen Thompson
Tre konata en Brita Esperantujo, Stephen Thompson estas ekzprezidanto de EAB, kaj ĉefis la loka kongresa komitato de la 2000-a Brita Kongreso en Appleby, Cumbria.
Li estu konata de multe da novaj alvenintoj ankaŭ, ĉar sia traduko de "Green Grow The Rushes, Ho!" disponas ĉe la pronunciad-helpa KD-o de EAB. Aŭskultu ĝin!
Stephen Thompson
Well known in British Esperanto, Stephen Thompson is a former president of the Esperanto Association of Britain, and led the organising team of the millennial British Congress of Esperanto in Appleby, Cumbria.
He ought to be known to newer arrivals to Esperanto too, since his reworking of "Green Grow The Rushes, Ho!" features on EAB's pronunciation CD. I'm a HardRocker~!, but Rolf can attest to my breaking out into song whilst driving through Sweden, so it's well worth a listen.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1481 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 16:34 |
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Nu, nun ŝajnas la ĝusta momento salti al tiu sekvanta famulo, ĉar la antaŭa kantis en Esperanto ... kaj la nuna aktoris en ĝi.
Well, now seems the appropriate time to jump to this next famous person, since the last sang in Esperanto ... this next one acted in it.
William Shatner
Ĉu priskribo necesas?!
William Shatner fakte aktoris en la Esperant-lingva filmo 'Incubus', kiu estas la 2a filmo eldonita en Esperanto en 1965.
Jen iom elprenita de la filmo; mi pardonpetas pro la pronunciado!
I shan't bother with an explanation of who he is. 
Prior to securing his position as Captain Kirk~! in Star Trek, Shatner acted in the film 'Incubus', which was the second-ever Esperanto-only film production.
Here's a clip of the man speaking. (Newcomers, please be assured that most Esperantists grimace at the pronunciation there, so don't be put off!)
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1482 is a reply to message #1479 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 17:24 |
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| Tim wrote on Fri, 09 February 2007 15:49 |
Malfeliĉe, Stephen-on mi neniam antaŭe vidis sen liphararo ... ĝis mia ĉi-minuta serĉado!
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Mi neniam konis lin kun liphararo (REDAKTO: ĝis la kongreso en Scarborough) - sed mi nur vere ekkonis lin antaŭ 7 jaroj dum la kongreso en Appleby, ĉefe pro bona aktado en traduko de la teatraĵo The Ghost Train de Arnold Ridley (skribita multjare antaŭ lia rolo de Private Godfrey en Dad's Army) kaj ludado de gitaro kaj kantado. Ankaŭ, li estis la prezidinto de EAB, kiu estis kun mi kaj Jill Gubbins dum la krokodilado de iu redaktoro de LBE en Scarborough.
Fakte, mi ja memoras, ke Stephen menciis sian aperon de La Plej Malforta Ligo antaŭ kelkaj monatoj, sed mi ne certas, ĉu li menciis ĝin dum la kongreso en Scarborough aŭ dum la Somera Festivalo en Barlaston.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1483 is a reply to message #1482 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 17:32 |
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| Mikeo wrote on Fri, 09 February 2007 17:24 |
| Tim wrote on Fri, 09 February 2007 15:49 |
Malfeliĉe, Stephen-on mi neniam antaŭe vidis sen liphararo ...
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Mi neniam konis lin kun liphararo - sed mi nur vere ekkonis lin antaŭ 7 jaroj dum la kongreso en Appleby
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Vi venkas, do. La sola okazo kiam mi ekrimarkis lin estas dum la BK de 2006, kiam li havis liphararon.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1484 is a reply to message #1483 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 18:08 |
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Anyway, moving back to famous people who happened to be Esperantists (not sure about Shatner or Stephen Thompson, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt), I'd like to turn to a Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry in 1904 ...
Sir William Ramsay
Along with the physicist Lord Rayleigh (aka John William Strutt) - who had discovered a discrepancy between the density of nitrogen formed from a chemical reaction and that after removing the other then-known components from air (oxygen, carbon dioxide and water) - Ramsay discovered the existence of argon, a new element and "noble gas". He then discovered three more noble gases: neon, krypton, and xenon, and isolated helium and radon - which earned him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1904 (Rayleigh also won the Nobel Prize for Physics the same year for essentially the same work).
However, what's less known about Ramsay is that he was an Esperantist - not only did he attend many Esperanto conferences and meetings, he was also mentioned in the minutes of the very first meeting of the British Esperanto Association on 14th October 1904:
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This [election of Officers for the British Esperanto Association] having been seconded by Mr Heayes (London), the Chairman [W T Stead] explained that Sir Wm. Ramsay, the eminent chemist, who had publicly expressed his whole-hearted belief in Esperanto, had only just returned from America, and had written stating his great regret that he could not allow his name to be put in nomination for the presidency of the new Association. The meeting had, however, before it the name of a gentleman [Lt-Col. Pollen] who would worthily occupy this position.
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So if circumstances had been different, he could have been the first president of BEA (or EAB) ... 
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1485 is a reply to message #1484 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 19:08 |
 Daniel
Messages: 297
Registered: September 2006 |
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Tiu bendo de la conversacio de vilcxjo shatner estas ridiga! mi vidis iom da la filmo kiam mi estis en Tom's por la londona spektak. tie mi vidis la komenc, sed ni malsxaltis gxin, estis enuiga. sed, mi nun deziras ke mi estu spektinta gxin.
Tiu ulo devas estis tre fama 'esperantisto; cxar fakte sam-domano cxe universitato, kun kiu mi parolis pri esperanto [kiel kun cxiuj], eniris dirante 'whats the only film in esperanto?' cxar li sxercxis por incubus celente la grupon kaj trovis filmeton. Li diris ke al li sxajnis kiel some mad shit.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1486 is a reply to message #1485 ] |
Fri, 09 February 2007 19:40 |
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| Daniel wrote on Fri, 09 February 2007 19:08 |
Tiu bendo de la conversacio de vilcxjo shatner estas ridiga! mi vidis iom da la filmo kiam mi estis en Tom's por la londona spektak. tie mi vidis la komenc, sed ni malsxaltis gxin, estis enuiga. sed, mi nun deziras ke mi estu spektinta gxin.
Tiu ulo devas estis tre fama 'esperantisto; cxar fakte sam-domano cxe universitato, kun kiu mi parolis pri esperanto [kiel kun cxiuj], eniris dirante 'whats the only film in esperanto?' cxar li sxercxis por incubus celente la grupon kaj trovis filmeton. Li diris ke al li sxajnis kiel some mad shit.
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Quoted so that sober Daniel can't come back in, edit, and deprive us of this magic!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1537 is a reply to message #1533 ] |
Mon, 12 February 2007 20:44 |
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| Mikeo wrote on Mon, 12 February 2007 19:16 |
Fidel Castro
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I never knew that! You're the man, Mikeo!
Well ...
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1539 is a reply to message #1537 ] |
Mon, 12 February 2007 22:18 |
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And in the interests of political balance, here's a famous capitalist ...
George Soros
Not only an Esperantist, but a denaska - his father was the Hungarian Esperanto writer Teodoro Schwartz. Because of his family's Jewish background, they changed their surname to Soros to avoid persecution and possible extermination during the Holocaust. After the war, George Soros escaped Soviet-occupied Hungary by going to an Esperanto youth congress in the West and defecting, and later graduated from the London School of Economics in 1952. After a slowish start and a move to the United States, he eventually became a very successful investment banker and currency speculator, and was instrumental in causing Black Wednesday - 16th September 1992, when the Conservative government was forced to withdraw sterling from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and the pound devalued significantly - by selling $10 billion worth of sterling.
He has also been a liberal philanthropist, contributing large sums of money (estimated at about $400 million each year) to many different causes. In the past these included helping black students through university in apartheid South Africa and funding dissident movements in Communist Eastern Europe (e.g. Poland's Solidarity movement, Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia, Andrei Sakharov in the Soviet Union). Now, they include providing funding to scientists and universities throughout Central and Eastern Europe, aid for civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, worldwide efforts to repeal drug prohibition laws and eliminating governmental corruption.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1548 is a reply to message #1542 ] |
Tue, 13 February 2007 17:48 |
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Leo Tolstoy
One of the most famous Russian authors - War and Peace and Anna Karenina considered as his masterpieces - he was also a philosopher, Christian anarchist, pacifist, educational reformer, vegetarian, moral thinker ... and Esperantist. He first came across Esperanto in 1888 - a year after it was first published by Zamenhof, who sent him a copy of his Unua Libro - and was able to read in the language after just a couple of hours of study. Although he didn't write substantial works in the language, he did provide articles in Esperanto for Zamenhof's periodical, La Esperantisto (one of which caused a lot of trouble with the Russian Tsarist censors due to its political content) and a large number of his writings (although not his epic masterpieces) have been translated into Esperanto, often with his blessing. He also helped to found the Esperantist Vegetarian Association in 1908.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1820 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Tue, 06 March 2007 17:21 |
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Franz Jonas
President of Austria from 1965 to 1974, Franz Jonas was mayor of Vienna from 1951 until he was elected President. He won re-election in 1971 and remained in post until he died in office.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1824 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Tue, 06 March 2007 18:55 |
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Pelé
The world's greatest ever footballer, holder of the Order of the British Empire, and one of the most widely respected and beloved people in all history, Edson Arantes do Nascimento is also a supporter of Esperanto.
I took this quotation in Dutch:
Het Esperanto zal in het algemeen voor sporters, voor de toenadering onder mensen en het vergemakkelijken van vriendschappelijke en sportersrelaties, zeer nuttig zijn."
My approximate translation is:
"Esperanto, in general, will be very useful for facilitating the equality of people and friendship in sporting relations."
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1874 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Fri, 09 March 2007 16:57 |
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Mahatma Gandhi:
Early Esperantist Edmund Privat visited Gandhi in India. He published a report of his travel in issue 2 of 'Esperanto', February 1932, and reported that Gandhi had told him:
“Mi estas por samforma kalendaro por la tuta mondo, kiel mi estas por samforma valuto por ĉiuj landoj kaj por la mondhelplingvo kiel Esperanto por ĉiuj popoloj.”
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #1893 is a reply to message #1889 ] |
Sun, 11 March 2007 11:51 |
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| Gabriel wrote on Sat, 10 March 2007 20:51 |
As in la revuo "Esperanto"? The magazine that just celebrated its hundredth year? :-S
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You're right, that does seem not to add up. This is what my source said:
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* MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI (1889-1948), nomata “Mahatma” – la grandspirita hinda filozofo, batalanto por sendependeco de Hindujo
“Mi estas por samforma kalendaro por la tuta mondo, kiel mi estas por samforma valuto por ĉiuj landoj kaj por la mondhelplingvo kiel Esperanto por ĉiuj popoloj.”
1931, El materialoj de Internacia Esperanto-Muzeo, Vieno
Gandhi aparte interesiĝis pri la homaranaj principoj de d-ro Zamenhof kaj esprimis sian apogon al ili. La rekomendon: uzi neŭtralan lingvon kun homoj aligentaj Gandhi ne akceptis sen dubo. Laŭ li Esperanto estis ankoraŭ eksperimento “sekvinda kun simpatia intereso, fondita por nobla homarana celo...”
Kiam d-ro Edmond Privat laŭ invito de Gandhi akompanis lin al Hindujo, unu vesperon sur ferdeko de la ŝipo Gandhi volis aŭdi en Esperanto la “Preĝon sub la verda standardo” de Zamenhof. Kaj sonis la vortoj “silentas nun ĉiu disput’ religia... kaj regas nur kredo de koro... Ni staras nun, filoj de l’ tuta homaro ĉe via altaro.”
Raporto de Edmond Privat. “Esperanto” N-ro 2, februaro 1932, p. 2-3
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #2593 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2007 00:04 |
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Ingemund Bengtsson
Speaker of the Swedish Rikdsag from 1979 to 1988.
This Social Democrat had an enormously long political career. However, he stands out as more than just some politician included in this thread because he happens to have spoken Esperanto. Oh no, not at all. This gentleman has the distinction of once being the king (sort of) of Sweden. You see, when the King of Sweden is prevented from performing his duties as Head of State, for reasons of illness, travel or other, and when no other member of the Royal House, who is in the line of succession, is present within the realm, the Government issues a decree that establishes a Regent ad interim who will uphold the duties as Head of State for the duration of His Majestys' incapacity. Ingemund Bengtsson fulfilled this role in 1988.
He was actually rather known for his interest in Zamenhof's creation, regularly fielding questions from the media about it. He was once asked what he was up to during the summer holidays. "Reading a book in Esperanto", he replied to the journalist. "Winnie the Pooh."
The Swedish congress marking the 100th anniversary of Esperanto in 1987 actually took place in the Swedish Parliament, Bengtsson being charged with opening it. Unfortunately, he took ill the week prior to its initiation. Daniel Tarschys, later a general secretary of the Council of Europe, took his place.
Still, it's not too often that one can say that an Esperanto-speaker was the head of a country ...
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #2653 is a reply to message #1893 ] |
Mon, 21 May 2007 16:01 |
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| Tim wrote on Sun, 11 March 2007 11:51 |
| Gabriel wrote on Sat, 10 March 2007 20:51 |
As in la revuo "Esperanto"? The magazine that just celebrated its hundredth year? :-S
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You're right, that does seem not to add up. This is what my source said:
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* MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI (1889-1948), nomata “Mahatma” – la grandspirita hinda filozofo, batalanto por sendependeco de Hindujo
“Mi estas por samforma kalendaro por la tuta mondo, kiel mi estas por samforma valuto por ĉiuj landoj kaj por la mondhelplingvo kiel Esperanto por ĉiuj popoloj.”
1931, El materialoj de Internacia Esperanto-Muzeo, Vieno
Gandhi aparte interesiĝis pri la homaranaj principoj de d-ro Zamenhof kaj esprimis sian apogon al ili. La rekomendon: uzi neŭtralan lingvon kun homoj aligentaj Gandhi ne akceptis sen dubo. Laŭ li Esperanto estis ankoraŭ eksperimento “sekvinda kun simpatia intereso, fondita por nobla homarana celo...”
Kiam d-ro Edmond Privat laŭ invito de Gandhi akompanis lin al Hindujo, unu vesperon sur ferdeko de la ŝipo Gandhi volis aŭdi en Esperanto la “Preĝon sub la verda standardo” de Zamenhof. Kaj sonis la vortoj “silentas nun ĉiu disput’ religia... kaj regas nur kredo de koro... Ni staras nun, filoj de l’ tuta homaro ĉe via altaro.”
Raporto de Edmond Privat. “Esperanto” N-ro 2, februaro 1932, p. 2-3
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I suspect the "N-ro" is an issue number for that particular year rather than a cumulative number from the very beginning (i.e. the second issue for 1932 rather than the second issue of "Esperanto" since it started in 1907!). I think other Esperanto magazines (e.g. La Ondo de Esperanto) use something similar along with a volume number to help distinguish what year it was published - just like a research journal, in fact.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #3640 is a reply to message #2654 ] |
Fri, 27 July 2007 04:45 |
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William Thomas Stead
Seeing as we've had Geoghegan, I might as well mention this guy ... he was a journalist of some standing during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who not only advanced journalism as we know it today but was involved in campaigns for social justice and reform. He was particularly famous for his crusade against child prostitution - to make his point, in 1885 he managed to 'purchase' a 13-year-old daughter of a chimney sweep, which cost him his job as editor of the Pall Mall Gazette and landed him with 3 months in prison. This case lead to the passing of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, which not only aimed to wipe out prostitution and raised the age of consent but also criminalised homosexuality (partially repealed 40 years ago in 1967).
After he left prison, Stead founded the monthly periodical Review of Reviews, in which he wrote articles on advanced humanitarian topics. One such article in 1902 was on Zamenhof's Unua Libro and its associated language - this was probably the first article to bring Esperanto to the wider attention of English-speaking people and helped to bring many ordinary and prominent people into the Esperanto movement, leading to the creation of the British Esperanto Association (EDIT: he was the chairman for its first ever meeting - see the entry on Sir William Ramsey above). While he was vital for creating the Esperanto movement in Britain, he was never a great speaker of the language and was too preoccupied with other social causes to contribute much to the movement. He is probably also more famous for being one of the victims of the Titanic in 1912.
If you are interested in how Stead contributed to the Esperanto movement, there is an article on him in La Brita Esperantisto.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #5624 is a reply to message #3640 ] |
Mon, 15 October 2007 02:48 |
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Now, you will not believe this one!
Lionel Blair
OK, so I told a slight lie ... as far as I know, he doesn't actually speak Esperanto, but according to his entry on Wikipedia, one of the facts stated in "Trivia" is that he can apparently count to 100 in Esperanto. It's not really a big deal, although it caught me by surprise when I was browsing just now. Mind you, it does raise the question of how he learnt Esperanto numbers ... did he once take an Esperanto course?
However, he's definitely more well known for being a dancer, choreographer and TV personality, particularly for appearing in the charades-based quiz show Give Us A Clue (which I vaguely remember as a child) - Humphrey Littleton on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue keeps referring to this and making fun of Lionel, usually with a gay double entendre. More recently, he and Alan Carr rescued a man who was about to fall off Blackpool Pier.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #6806 is a reply to message #1418 ] |
Sun, 23 December 2007 12:05 |
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Forrest J Ackerman
A huge part of science-fiction's history, 4SJ is the chap who coined the phrase 'sci-fi'. He's also fluent in Esperanto, and claims to have walked down Hollywood Boulevard arm-in-arm with Leo G. Carroll singing La Espero.
He's been interested in Esperanto since encountering it in a story in 1930, and says:
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60 years ago was the longest day of my life when my maternal grandfather read me an announcement in the newspaper: LA City College was offering a class in Esperanto!
I ran all the distance to be the first one in the class(in those days I didn't need a pacemaker).
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Even in his seventies he was using the language:
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In l987 I went to Warsaw, Poland, and for l0 days was amongst 7000 people from 60 countries, and we could all talk to each other!
One of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
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| Re: Famous Esperantists [message #7982 is a reply to message #6806 ] |
Mon, 24 March 2008 03:51 |
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Maybe not one of the most famous Esperantists, but like George Soros he was a denaskulo, albeit not as lucky since he was a victim of the Holocaust ...
Petr Ginz
Petr was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1928 to his Esperantist parents, who had met at an Esperanto congress, and subsequently became a native speaker of Esperanto. He was otherwise a very intelligent boy and a polymath, writing his Jules Verne-inspired first novel Náv¨těva z pravěku (Visit from Prehistory) at the age of 12 and illustrating it with his own paintings.
Nazi Germany annexed the Czech lands in 1939 and enacted an anti-Semitic law stating that children in mixed-race marriages (Petr's father was Jewish, while his mother was not) had to be deported at the age of 14. Petr was thus transported to Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration/transit camp in 1942, where he still tried to study - editing the in-camp magazine Vedem (most editions of which survive today) and even writing an Esperanto-Czech dictionary. Sadly, he was on one of the last transports to Auschwitz and died in the gas chambers there in September 1944, aged only 16.
Apart from Vedem and a diary he wrote chronicling his life between the age of 3 and when he was transported to Terezín (published by his sister in the original Czech and translations in Spanish, Catalan, Esperanto and English), a copy of one of his pictures showing the Earth as seen from the Moon (shown below) was taken on board the Space Shuttle Columbia by the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon. Even more tragically, this was the shuttle flight that disintegrated during re-entry in February 2003.
Let's have a gay-off! Ready?! Lips pursed, hands on the table and GO!
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