Geca Kon

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Geca Kon

Geca Kon also spelled Gaetz Kohn (Serbian Cyrillic: Геца Кон; 2 August 1873 – 1941) was a Serbian publisher.

Early life[edit]

Kon was born in Csongrád. His father was a rich rabbi and was the director of an elementary school. Unable to complete school, Kon moved to Belgrade in 1889. In Belgrade, he found work in the bookshop owned by Frederick Breslauer. He worked in the shop until 1894, then moved to Novi Sad, staying there for a year.[1]

Publishing career[edit]

In 1901 he established a bookselling and publishing business which soon became the largest in Yugoslavia. From his premises in Belgrade he published over 3,500 books before his business was closed in 1941 with the Axis Invasion of Yugoslavia.[2]

In 1906 he began publishing the journal Archives of Law and Social Sciences. The first catalogue of books of his publications Gece Kona came out in 1910. The catalogue contained 50 books, a selection that included many famous Serbian writers, including Mihailo Gavrilović, Slobodan Jovanović, Toma Živanović, Stojan Novaković and Gojko Niketić.[1]

He was attacked for being Jewish in the antisemitic journal Balkan and arrested when the German army arrived in Belgrade.[3]

Marriage and family[edit]

Kon married Elsa Wiles in 1902. They had two daughters, Elvira and Malvina.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Geca Kon". Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  2. ^ Nikolić, Ivana (2000). Publishing in Serbia.
  3. ^ "Страдање Геце Кона". Историјска библиотека. Retrieved 2 March 2014.