| Excerpt |
Art historian and critic, painter, diplomat and professor, Raoul Şorban (4.IX.1912-19.VII.2006) marked the time on which he lived by outstanding contributions. He was a fascinating personality, who by his origin belonged to the Transylvanian aristocracy, while by his cultural and artistic approach he was part of the Romanian elites. During the WWII, undertook a series of diplomatic missions by remaining after August 30, 1944 in the city of Cluj, occupied by the troops of Horthy’s regime. From here, as an attentive observer of the political realities, he informed the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing a useful insight on a series of situations and thus offering a proper orientation to the chancellery from Bucharest. Being passionately dedicated to the humanitarian causes and being convinced by the pertinence of his opinions, he supported the democratic forces, especially through the assistance provided to the Transylvanian Jews. As political observer, he provided the Romanian authorities precise assessments regarding the political, economical and social situation in Hungary, during those years. Such a material is presented by this article, namely a document describing the evolution of the political parties during the Horthy regime in Hungary, noticing their role, scope and approaches. The report is a very keen one, showing a remarkable clarity, resulted from the analytic and realistic spirit of the author, thus depicting a veridical and objective image for the leaders of the Romanian diplomacy at that time. One can consider that by assuming such a risky approach, Raoul Şorban proved to be a remarkable character, the study of his report outlining, once again, the profile of a fine Romanian intellectual, a person who knew very well the situation of his country’s neighbours and who was the adept of the peaceful living together, on the same time a man strongly motivated by a fervent patriotism, as well as by a profound humanist education |
