Andrej Kobal: demokratični poizkusi podonavskih držav pred letom 1938

slovenian

2005

United States of America 

Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Although Andrej (Andrew) Kobal was born in a small town of Cerkno, he spent almost all his life away from home. When he was twenty he moved to the United States of America that became his new homeland. First years in America Kobal spent working in Chicago as an assistant editor of the Slovene newspaper Prosveta, a gazette of SNPJ (Slovene National Benefit Society). Between 1926 -29 he worked as an editor of Mladinski list - Juvenile. During this period he wrote and published a number of poems, short stories and also dramas. He was interested in spreading Slovene ethnic consciousness among his (especially young) readers, and in promoting Slovene culture and language. After his conflict with Frank Zaitz, Jože Zavertnik and especially Louis Adamič, he moved to New York, where he continued his studies at university. In 1941 he completed his doctor's degree on Democratic Experiments in Danubian Countries.During the great depression he changed many jobs. The most important among them was psychological work for industry and New York Police Department. He continued working as a psychologist also after his enlistment in the U.S. Army at the beginning of the World War II. In 1942 he joined two intelligence agencies: Office of Strategic Service (O.S.S.) and G-2. During the war he worked as an intelligence officer in Egypt and Bulgaria. After abolition of O.S.S. he became a CIA employee. Although he spent the rest of his life on several duties in different countries, he never forgot his homeland and mother tongue. He died in 1988. The main source of information about the life and work of Andrej Kobal still remains his autobiography. Kobal himself admitted that his autobiography contained many false statements. Therefore this research is based on comparison of Kobalćs memories with other available sources. The most important among other sources are Kobalćs correspondence with Ivan Molek and Jože Velikonja, as well as a number of his articles, poems, dramas and short stories published in different newspapers and magazines.

12.05.2016