Boris Furlan
Encyclopedia
Boris Furlan was a Slovenia
n jurist
, philosopher of law, translator
and liberal
politician
. During World War II
, he worked as a speaker on Radio London
, and was known as the "London's Slovene voice". He served as a Minister in the Tito-Šubašić coalition government. In 1947, he was convicted by the Yugoslav Communist authorities at "Nagode trial".
, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today in Italy
). He attended private Slovene language schools in Trieste. As a teenager, he attended an intensive English course at the local Berlitz language school
, where he was a pupil of the Irish novelist James Joyce
. After finishing the German language
State gymnasium
in Trieste in 1913, he went to study law at the University of Paris
. After the break of World War I
, he returned to Austria-Hungary, and enrolled to the University of Vienna
. He finished his studies at the University of Bologna
after the end of World War I. In 1920, he obtained a PhD from the University of Zagreb
.
In 1920, Furlan returned to his home city of Trieste, which had become a part of the Kingdom of Italy. First, he worked as an assistant in the Josip Wilfan's law firm, establishing his own practice in 1925. In 1926, when Fascist Italianization was already in full advance, he managed to get a permit to publish a Slovene language legal journal, named Pravni vestnik ('The Legal Herald'), in which both Furlan and Wilfan published numerous text on legal philosophy and legal theory. The journal was abolished in 1928, as one of the last Slovene and Croat language media prohibited by the Fascist regime. Between 1928 and 1930, Furlan worked as political advisor to Wilfan, who became one of the leaders of the Congress of European Nationalities.
In 1930, he escaped to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
in order to escape Fascist
persecution. In 1931, he opened a law practice in Ljubljana
, and in 1936 he became a professor of sociology of law at the University of Ljubljana
.
, Furlan was evacuated from the country with the help of the British intelligence service with which he had established a collaboration. After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
and the Italian occupation of Slovenia
, he was convicted to death in contumaciam
by the Italian authorities. After a short stay in Palestine
, Furlan travelled to the United States
. Together with the liberal conservative Slovenian émigré politicians Izidor Cankar
and Franc Snoj, Furlan propagated for the Yugoslav and Slovene cause. In 1942, he published a brochure titled Fighting Yugoslavia: The Struggle of the Slovenes, in which he articulated, among other, the Slovenian claims for the annexation of his native Julian March
region to Yugoslavia.
In 1943, he moved to London
, where he served as Minister of Education in the exile government of Miloš Trifunović
between June and August 1943. In the first years of the war, Furlan supported the Chetnik resistance movement of Draža Mihajlović, but after early 1944, he became supportive of Josip Broz Tito
's Yugoslav Partisans.
After the Yugoslav Prime Minister Ivan Šubašić
recognized the partisan movement in June 1944, Furlan replaced Alojzij Kuhar
as the official Slovene speaker of the Yugoslav Government in Exile
for the Radio London
. In summer 1944, he had several speeches directed to the members of the collaborationist Slovene Home Guard, urging them to join forces with the partisan forces. One of his speeches, titled A Clear Word from London was printed on leaflets which were dropped by Allied airplanes over Slovenia. In Autumn 1944, Furlan replaced Izidor Cankar
as Minister for Culture and Telecommunication in the Provisional Government. In early 1945, he went to the liberated territories in southern Slovenia together with Franc Snoj.
, he became the dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana. He tried to maintain a critical attitude towards the Communist regime; among other, he secretly translated George Orwell
's Animal Farm
.
In June 1947, he was arrested and trialed at the so-called Nagode trial, together with 31 other liberal democratic and left wing Slovene intellectuals, such as Črtomir Nagode, Ljubo Sirc
, Angela Vode
and Franc Snoj. Furlan was accused of having been member of a Masonic lodge
in the 1930s, of having maintained contacts with the British intelligence since the late 1930s; the main accusation regarded his translation of Orwell's Animal Farm and his friendly relations with the American Red Cross official Jack Hoptner.
In August 1947, he was sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 20 years of forced labour. He was released on parole after four and a half years because of illness.
In 1952, he moved to the small Upper Carniola
n town of Radovljica
to escape the daily intimidations to which he was subjected in the Slovenian capital. In November 1953, he was reportedly attacked by agents of the Yugoslav secret police
, in which he suffered severe injuries.
He died in Ljubljana, aged 62 and was interred in the cemetery in Vič
.
wrote a short story on Furlan, titled "Yoyce's Pupil". The story was translated to English by Andrew B. Wachtel in 2006.
Boris Furlan was the father of the renowned physician Borut Furlan and grandfather of the journalist Urška Furlan.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, philosopher of law, translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he worked as a speaker on Radio London
Radio London
Radio London may refer to one of the following radio stations:*A popular name for the BBC World Service in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II*The station now known as BBC London 94.9...
, and was known as the "London's Slovene voice". He served as a Minister in the Tito-Šubašić coalition government. In 1947, he was convicted by the Yugoslav Communist authorities at "Nagode trial".
Early life and career
He was born in a middle class Slovene family in TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). He attended private Slovene language schools in Trieste. As a teenager, he attended an intensive English course at the local Berlitz language school
Berlitz Language Schools
Berlitz Corporation is a global leadership training and education company with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey and Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 1878 by Maximilian D. Berlitz in Providence, Rhode Island...
, where he was a pupil of the Irish novelist James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
. After finishing the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
State gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Trieste in 1913, he went to study law at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. After the break of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he returned to Austria-Hungary, and enrolled to the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. He finished his studies at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
after the end of World War I. In 1920, he obtained a PhD from the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
.
In 1920, Furlan returned to his home city of Trieste, which had become a part of the Kingdom of Italy. First, he worked as an assistant in the Josip Wilfan's law firm, establishing his own practice in 1925. In 1926, when Fascist Italianization was already in full advance, he managed to get a permit to publish a Slovene language legal journal, named Pravni vestnik ('The Legal Herald'), in which both Furlan and Wilfan published numerous text on legal philosophy and legal theory. The journal was abolished in 1928, as one of the last Slovene and Croat language media prohibited by the Fascist regime. Between 1928 and 1930, Furlan worked as political advisor to Wilfan, who became one of the leaders of the Congress of European Nationalities.
In 1930, he escaped to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
in order to escape Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
persecution. In 1931, he opened a law practice in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, and in 1936 he became a professor of sociology of law at the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
.
Exile during World War II
In late March 1941, when Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite PactTripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II...
, Furlan was evacuated from the country with the help of the British intelligence service with which he had established a collaboration. After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
and the Italian occupation of Slovenia
Province of Ljubljana
The Province of Ljubljana was a province of the Kingdom of Italy and of the Nazi German Adriatic Littoral during World War II. It was created on May 3, 1941 from territory occupied and annexed to Italy after the Axis invasion and dissolution of Yugoslavia, and it was abolished on May 9, 1945, when...
, he was convicted to death in contumaciam
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by the Italian authorities. After a short stay in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Furlan travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Together with the liberal conservative Slovenian émigré politicians Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, publicist, translator, and liberal conservative politician...
and Franc Snoj, Furlan propagated for the Yugoslav and Slovene cause. In 1942, he published a brochure titled Fighting Yugoslavia: The Struggle of the Slovenes, in which he articulated, among other, the Slovenian claims for the annexation of his native Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
region to Yugoslavia.
In 1943, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he served as Minister of Education in the exile government of Miloš Trifunović
Miloš Trifunović
Miloš Trifunović is a Serbian footballer currently playing in FC Bunyodkor from Tashkent, on loan from Red Star Belgrade.-Career:...
between June and August 1943. In the first years of the war, Furlan supported the Chetnik resistance movement of Draža Mihajlović, but after early 1944, he became supportive of Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's Yugoslav Partisans.
After the Yugoslav Prime Minister Ivan Šubašić
Ivan Šubašic
Ivan Šubašić was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, best known as the last Ban of Banovina of Croatia.He was born in Vukova Gorica, then in Austria-Hungary. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb, and enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb...
recognized the partisan movement in June 1944, Furlan replaced Alojzij Kuhar
Alojzij Kuhar
Alojzij Kuhar was a Slovenian and Yugoslav politician, diplomat, historian and journalist. Together with Izidor Cankar and Franc Snoj, he was an important exponent of the liberal conservative fraction of the Slovene People's Party.-Biography:Kuhar was born into a Carinthian Slovene family in...
as the official Slovene speaker of the Yugoslav Government in Exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
for the Radio London
Radio London
Radio London may refer to one of the following radio stations:*A popular name for the BBC World Service in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II*The station now known as BBC London 94.9...
. In summer 1944, he had several speeches directed to the members of the collaborationist Slovene Home Guard, urging them to join forces with the partisan forces. One of his speeches, titled A Clear Word from London was printed on leaflets which were dropped by Allied airplanes over Slovenia. In Autumn 1944, Furlan replaced Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, publicist, translator, and liberal conservative politician...
as Minister for Culture and Telecommunication in the Provisional Government. In early 1945, he went to the liberated territories in southern Slovenia together with Franc Snoj.
Under the Communist Regime
After the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he became the dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana. He tried to maintain a critical attitude towards the Communist regime; among other, he secretly translated George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
.
In June 1947, he was arrested and trialed at the so-called Nagode trial, together with 31 other liberal democratic and left wing Slovene intellectuals, such as Črtomir Nagode, Ljubo Sirc
Ljubo Sirc
Ljubo Sirc CBE is a British-Slovene economist and prominent dissident from the former Yugoslavia.-Life and work:He was born in Kranj, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in a wealthy and renowned family of Slovene and Yugoslav patriots...
, Angela Vode
Angela Vode
Angela Vode was a Slovenian pedagogue, feminist author and human rights activist. An early member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, she was expelled from the Party in 1939 because of criticism against the Hitler-Stalin Pact...
and Franc Snoj. Furlan was accused of having been member of a Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
in the 1930s, of having maintained contacts with the British intelligence since the late 1930s; the main accusation regarded his translation of Orwell's Animal Farm and his friendly relations with the American Red Cross official Jack Hoptner.
In August 1947, he was sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 20 years of forced labour. He was released on parole after four and a half years because of illness.
In 1952, he moved to the small Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
n town of Radovljica
Radovljica
Radovljica is a town and a municipality in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km²...
to escape the daily intimidations to which he was subjected in the Slovenian capital. In November 1953, he was reportedly attacked by agents of the Yugoslav secret police
UDBA
The Department of State Security was the secret police organization of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Although it operated with more restraint than other secret...
, in which he suffered severe injuries.
He died in Ljubljana, aged 62 and was interred in the cemetery in Vič
Vic
Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
.
Essential bibliography
- Pojem prava ('The Concept of Law'. Trieste, 1921);
- Crocejeva teorija prava ('CroceBenedetto CroceBenedetto Croce was an Italian idealist philosopher, and occasionally also politician. He wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, methodology of history writing and aesthetics, and was a prominent liberal, although he opposed laissez-faire free trade...
's Theory of Justice. Trieste, 1921); - Cankarjev Hlapec Jernej v luči pravne filozofije ('Ivan CankarIvan CankarIvan Cankar was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist. Together with Oton Župančič, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn, he is considered as the beginner of modernism in Slovene literature...
's Short Story Tha Bailiff Yerney in the Light of Philosophy of Law, Trieste, 1926); - Filozofija prava i opšte nauke o pravu ('Philosophy of Law and General Legal Precepts'. Belgrade, 1931);
- Problem realnosti prava ('The Problem of Reality of Law'. Ljubljana, 1932);
- Benedetto CroceBenedetto CroceBenedetto Croce was an Italian idealist philosopher, and occasionally also politician. He wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, methodology of history writing and aesthetics, and was a prominent liberal, although he opposed laissez-faire free trade...
(Ljubljana, 1934); - Teorija pravnega sklepanja ('The Theory of Legal Inference'. Ljubljana, 1934);
- Filozofske osnove pojma nevarnosti v kazenskem pravu ('The Philosophic Bases of the Concept of Danger in Criminal Law'. Ljubljana, 1936);
- Politični nazor T. G. Masaryka ('The Political Views of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk'. Ljubljana, 1937);
- Socialna filozofija Anatola Francea ('The Social Philosophy of Anatole France'. Ljubljana, 1937);
- Problem pravne kavzalnosti ('The Problem of Juridical Causality'. Ljubljana, 1938);
- Racionalizem in revolucija ('Rationalism and Revolution'. Ljubljana, 1939).
Other
In 1998, the Slovenian writer Drago JančarDrago Jancar
Drago Jančar is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement.-Life:...
wrote a short story on Furlan, titled "Yoyce's Pupil". The story was translated to English by Andrew B. Wachtel in 2006.
Boris Furlan was the father of the renowned physician Borut Furlan and grandfather of the journalist Urška Furlan.
External links
- Bibliographical Lexicon of the Slovenian Litoral (Primorski slovenski bibliografski leksikon), pp.393-394.
- Peter VodopivecPeter VodopivecPeter Vodopivec is a Slovenian historian and public intellectual.He was born in a Slovene family in Belgrade, Serbia, then capital of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He studied history at the University of Ljubljana...
, ed., Usoda slovenskih demokratičnih izobražencev: Angela Vode in Boris Furlan, žrtvi Nagodetovega procesa ('The Fate of the Slovenian Democratic Intelligentsia: Angela Vode and Boris Furlan, Victims of the Nagode Trial'; Ljubljana: Slovenska maticaSlovenska maticaSlovenska matica , also known as Matica slovenska, is the second-oldest publishing house in Slovenia, founded in the 19th century as an institution for the scholarly and cultural progress of Slovenes...
, 2001).