58 Facts About Tibor Sekelj

Tibor Sekelj, known as Szekely Tibor according to Hungarian orthography, was a Hungarian born polyglot, explorer, author, and 'citizen of the world.

Tibor Sekelj had at least two sisters and a brother, Antonije, who later collaborated with him on several books.

Tibor Sekelj studied French and soon was teaching it to his fellow students.

Tibor Sekelj went on to learn a new language every four years.

Tibor Sekelj was on the ship Teresa on what might have been that ship's last voyage due to the start of World War II.

Tibor Sekelj remained in Argentina for the next 15 years, writing and exploring South America.

In 1944, with no prior mountaineering experience, Tibor Sekelj joined a crew on an ascent on Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the South American continent.

Tibor Sekelj's partner on this arduous journey was an Argentinian of Russian descent Mary Reznik.

Tibor Sekelj encouraged them to explore the unknown area of the River Itenez, which abuts with Brazil.

Tibor Sekelj later regretted the missed opportunity to have a place where Esperanto could become the common language to its populace.

Tibor Sekelj returned to South America, joining Mary in Venezuela.

Tibor Sekelj later wrote about being on the island of San Blas in Panama, where he engaged with the Kuna Indians; of an attempt to scale the volcano Izalko in El Salvador, that was cut short by a volcanic eruption; and of discovering the ruins of an ancient city in Honduras, which many people knew from legends only, and that was built by Indians.

Tibor Sekelj climbed Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl and many other volcanoes and mountains, further firming up his expertise in that arena.

In 1954 Tibor Sekelj returned to his home in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Tibor Sekelj was given a warm welcome by the local government and its people, as much for his humanitarian message as for his fascinating travelogues.

Tibor Sekelj continued to travel and write of his experiences.

King Mahendra personally thanked Tibor Sekelj for founding the first people's university, and for helping to spread the teaching of Esperanto.

Tibor Sekelj remained in India for five months before landing, penniless, in Japan.

Between lecturing and writing newspaper articles, Tibor Sekelj earned enough money to buy an airplane ticket to Sri Lanka, and then to Israel before returning to his home base in Belgrade.

In 1961, Tibor Sekelj accepted the invitation of Moroccan Esperantists and traveled to Morocco, where he joined a caravan of Tuaregs nomads into the Sahara.

In March 1962, Tibor Sekelj set off for Africa on a Karavano de Amikeco, with eight people from four countries in two all-terrain cars.

In 1965, on his way to the World Congress of Esperanto in Tokyo, Tibor Sekelj traveled by train across Russia and Siberia to Nahodka, before landing in Yokohama by boat.

In ensuing years Tibor Sekelj managed to visit every European country, with the exception of Albania and Iceland.

In 1972, while at the international congress of ethnologists in Chicago Tibor Sekelj visited eastern Canada and United States.

Tibor Sekelj famously attributed this ability to the fact that he did the work of seven: Writer; cameraman; assistant; photographer; and buyer and shipper of ethnographic artifacts.

Tibor Sekelj devoted much of his life to the defense and promotion of Esperanto.

Tibor Sekelj took every opportunity to advocate for Esperanto, particularly in the international Writers association PEN and at UNESCO.

In 1985, during the 27th Conference in Sofia, Tibor Sekelj was commissioned by UEA to ensure that Unesco would draft a second resolution that would be favorable to Esperanto.

Tibor Sekelj attended the World Congress of ethnographers in Chicago in the United States and the World congress of museum professionals in Copenhagen.

In 1985, Tibor Sekelj met a young woman Erzsebet Tibor Sekelj, a librarian, born in 1958, whom he met on a journey through Hungary.

Erzsebet Tibor Sekelj participated in the drafting of the vojvodina organ VELO.

Tibor Sekelj lived in Subotica from 1972 until his death, 20 September 1988.

Tibor Sekelj is buried in Bajsko groblje in Subotica, with the highest honors from the city of Subotica.

Tibor Sekelj was adroit at a wide range of skills: journalist, explorer, adventurer, mountaineer, writer, drawer, filmmaker, geographer, ethnologist, museologist, polyglot and actor on the political stage, relating to politicians including aforementioned heads of state.

Tibor Sekelj lived chiefly on his work as a journalist and filmmaker.

Tibor Sekelj traveled through 90 countries and his books appeared in as many countries and a great many languages.

Tibor Sekelj sent him to learn film production in Prague, where he studied under a famous Czech director Otakar Vavra where for 6 months Tibor studied film direction.

Once Tibor Sekelj returned to Yugoslavia in the 1960s, he began getting TV coverage as a journalist.

Tibor Sekelj began using his knowledge as a filmmaker, not only directing himself but using sound and light, camera work and more on his trips to New Guinea and Australia.

Tibor Sekelj himself was the subject of many interviews, chiefly within former Yugoslav televisions.

Tibor Sekelj donated his tangible collection of masks, instruments and hats to Ethnographic museum in Zagreb and to Municipal museum of Subotica, where most of them were later given to the museum of Senta.

Tibor Sekelj writes eruditely about this in his book in Esperanto "Mondo de travivajoj", 1981.

Tibor Sekelj met with, and became a friend of, Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi, and with Radhakrishnan.

Tibor Sekelj asked for 4 million, but was told it would take half year for the Bolivian parliament to ratify that.

Tibor Sekelj chose not to wait and left before ratification could take place.

Also he met with King Mahendra of Nepal, who thanked Tibor Sekelj for creating the first people's university there, where he taught Esperanto.

Tibor Sekelj met with numerous heads of state, ministers and diplomats during his four participations in UNESCO-talks throughout 1984 and 1985.

Tibor Sekelj finally succeeded in convincing the Yugoslavian government to offer that resolution to the Assembly of UNESCO in Sofia, while getting other Esperantists to work on the governments of China, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, San Marino and Costa Rica in order to back the resolution.

Tibor Sekelj learned 25 languages and countless dialects, of which he retained nine at the end of his life: Hungarian, Serbian, German, Esperanto, Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese.

For over twenty years Tibor Sekelj was a committee member of UEA and he was single-handedly responsible for the second resolution where UNESCO positively addressed Esperanto in 1985.

Tibor Sekelj wrote a great many lucid and cogent articles for various Esperanto-newspapers and magazines, and he drafted Geografia Revuo, E-Gazeto and Velo.

Tibor Sekelj influenced the teaching of Esperanto, and was behind the launching of the first televised course in Esperanto in China.

Tibor Sekelj gave between 7000 and 8000 speeches, most often with photos of his travels, wrote innumerable articles about Esperanto in the national press and was interviewed hundreds of times for national radios, newspapers and television.

Tibor Sekelj is perhaps the most well-known original Esperanto-writers among the non-esperantist world, given the number of his translated books from Esperanto.

Tibor Sekelj's stories won prizes of Belartaj Konkursoj and his poetry, although sparse, is considered valuable and worth studying.

Tibor Sekelj wrote guides and essays on Esperanto, the international language.

Tibor Sekelj is undoubtedly the most often translated Esperanto author.

Tibor Sekelj collaborated on a dictionary in 20 languages about museology, Dictionarium Museologicum, appearing in 1986.