He was born in Ostrava,
Czech Republic (then part of the Austria Hungary Empire) and in 1937
went to Spain where he joined the Communists in the International
Brigade fighting in the Civil War. After the defeat of the
Republicans in 1939 he moved to France and in 1940 was arrested by
the Germans and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. London
returned to France after the war and then became a leading figure in
the Czechoslovak Communist Party in Prague. In 1948, he was
appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1951, he was
arrested and was one of the accused at the Slansky trial where he
was charged with being a Zionist and a Trotskyist. Sentenced to life
imprisonment, he was released in 1955 and later rehabilitated. In
1963 he moved to France where he published L'Aveu, about the Slansky
trial. It was filmed by Costas-Gavras with Yves Montand depicting
the hero based on London.
Bibliography:
LONDON, Artur. Doznání. Pp. 412 (2). Praga: Cs. spis., t.
Stráz, Vimperk, 1969.
LONDON, Artur. Spanelsko, Spanelsko. Praha: Nakl.
politickי literatury] 1963.
LONDON, Artur. L'Aveu, dans l'engrenage du Proces de Prague.
(Version francaise d'Artur et Lise London). Pp. 461. [Paris]:
Gallimard, 1968.
LONDON, Artur. Espagne. (Traduit et adapte du tcheque par
Lise Ricol). Pp. 416. Paris: Editeurs francais reunis, c1966.
LONDON, Artur. The confession. (Translated by Alastair
Hamilton). Pp. xix, 442. New York: Morrow, 1970.
Links:
Artur London - Les déportés politiques, des prisons françaises aux
camps de concentration
Artur London (Gérard)
The Jewish
Community of Ostrava
