Background
ZALKA, Mate was born on April 23, 1896 in village Matolcz, Hungary. Son of an innkeeper.
ZALKA, Mate was born on April 23, 1896 in village Matolcz, Hungary. Son of an innkeeper.
Completed business college.
During World War 1 nco in AustroHungarian Army. 1916 taken prisoner by Russians. 1918 organized Hungarian Red Guard unit in Khabarovsk and then operated with Kravchenko and Shchetinkin’s partisan army.
From 1920 in Red Army. Commanded battalion on Polish Front and at Perekop. 1921-1923 worked for All-Russian Extraordinary Commission Against Counterrevolution, Sabotage and Speculation and State Polit Board.
From 1923 dipl courier. Then directed a sculpture factory in Moscow. From 1925 director, Theater of the Revol, Moscow.
From 1928 worked for Central Committee, All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Member, All-Russian Association of Proletarian Writers and secretariat member, Moscow Association of Proletarian Writers. 1924 first work printed.
From 1936 fought in Spanish Civil War under the name of General Lukács. Commanded 12th International Brigade. Wrote in Hungarian.
Communist Party member from 1920.