# Erling Falk

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{{Short description|Norwegian politician (1887–1940)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name            = Erling Falk
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1887|08|12|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [Hemnesberget, Norway](/source/Hemnesberget)
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|1940|07|31|1887|08|12|df=y}}
| death_place     = [Stockholm, Sweden](/source/Stockholm%2C_Sweden)
| resting_place   = [Vestre gravlund](/source/Vestre_gravlund), [Oslo](/source/Oslo), Norway
| occupation      = Politician
| political_party = [Communist Party of Norway](/source/Communist_Party_of_Norway) (1926-1928) <br> [Arbeiderpartiet](/source/Arbeiderpartiet) (-1925)
| parents         = [Jonas Cornelius Falk](/source/Jonas_Cornelius_Falk)
}}

'''Erling Falk''' (12 August 1887 – 31 July 1940) was a Norwegian politician, ideologist and writer. He was active in the [Norwegian Students' Society](/source/Norwegian_Students'_Society), the [Norwegian Labour Party](/source/Norwegian_Labour_Party) and the [Communist Party](/source/Communist_Party_of_Norway), but is best known as a leading figure in the group ''[Mot Dag](/source/Mot_Dag)'', who issued a periodical of the same name. He also translated ''[Das Kapital](/source/Das_Kapital)''.

==Early life and career==
He was born in [Hemnesberget](/source/Hemnesberget) as the son of [Jonas Cornelius Falk](/source/Jonas_Cornelius_Falk) (1844–1915) and Anna Margrethe Middelthon (1857–1924).<ref name="nbl">{{cite encyclopedia|year=|title=Erling Falk|encyclopedia=[Norsk biografisk leksikon](/source/Norsk_biografisk_leksikon)|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Erling_Falk/utdypning|last=Berntsen|first=Harald|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|language=Norwegian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020142355/https://nbl.snl.no/Erling_Falk|archive-date=2016-10-20|authorlink=Harald Berntsen|accessdate=27 December 2009}}</ref> Falk attended school in [Trondheim](/source/Trondheim) (1901), [Mosjøen](/source/Mosj%C3%B8en) (1903) and high school in [Stavanger](/source/Stavanger) (1905) before he moved to [Duluth, Minnesota](/source/Duluth%2C_Minnesota) in 1907. In the United States he undertook varying forms of work and short-lived studies, including working as a land surveyor in Montana and as an accountant for [Industrial Workers of the World](/source/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World) in Chicago.

==''Mot Dag''==
In 1918 he moved back to Norway, and enrolled at the [Royal Frederick University](/source/University_of_Oslo). From 1921 he edited a new periodical called ''[Mot Dag](/source/Mot_Dag)'', which he published together with people he met in a study circle led by [Edvard Bull](/source/Edvard_Bull%2C_Sr.). In addition to Falk, prominent figures in the early ''Mot Dag'' were [Viggo Hansteen](/source/Viggo_Hansteen), [Trond Hegna](/source/Trond_Hegna), [Aake Anker Ording](/source/Aake_Anker_Ording) and [Arne Ording](/source/Arne_Ording). [Sigurd Hoel](/source/Sigurd_Hoel) soon joined the group as editor of ''Mot Dag''. In 1922 a parallel association, also named ''Mot Dag'', was established.<ref name=nbl/>

Falk had joined [Kristiania Arbeidersamfund](/source/Kristiania_Arbeidersamfund) and the [Norwegian Students' Society](/source/Norwegian_Students'_Society) after moving to Norway, and was also a member of the [Norwegian Labour Party](/source/Norwegian_Labour_Party). Together with [Martin Tranmæl](/source/Martin_Tranm%C3%A6l) Falk was instrumental in writing the ''Kristiania Proposal'' in early 1923,<ref name=nbl/> which stated that the Labour Party should strive for independency from the Comintern.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nordby|first=Trond|author-link=Trond Nordby|title=Karl Evang. En biografi|publisher=Aschehoug|location=Oslo|year=1989|page=31|isbn=82-03-16250-9|language=Norwegian}}</ref> The Comintern did not take lightly to this, and Falk was present to discuss the issue at the [3rd Enlarged Plenum of Executive Committee of the Communist International](/source/Executive_Committee_of_the_Communist_International) in June 1923. The Labour Party resigned from Comintern at its extraordinary national convention in November 1923. At that convention, Falk tried to challenge Tranmæl as editor-in-chief of the party newspaper ''[Arbeiderbladet](/source/Dagsavisen)'', but received few votes in his favor. Falk remained with the Labour Party for some time, but was excluded from the party in 1925. At the same time, the Labour Party disassociated itself with the entire ''Mot Dag'' group. Falk then formed the group [Arbeideropposisjonen](/source/Arbeideropposisjonen), but it too was excluded, and became short-lived.<ref name=nbl/>

In 1926 ''Mot Dag'' and Falk joined the [Communist Party](/source/Communist_Party_of_Norway). Falk was a member of the party's central board, and had influence in the newspaper ''[Norges Kommunistblad](/source/Norges_Kommunistblad)''.<ref name=nbl/> He also influenced the founding of the short-lived party [Arbeiderklassens Samlingsparti](/source/Arbeiderklassens_Samlingsparti).<ref name=maurs>{{cite book|last=Maurseth|first=Per|author-link=Per Maurseth|title=Gjennom kriser til makt 1920-1935|year=1987|series=Volume three of ''[Arbeiderbevegelsens historie i Norge](/source/Arbeiderbevegelsens_historie_i_Norge)''|publisher=Tiden|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|isbn=82-10-02753-0|page=503}}</ref> In 1928 he was a part of the 6th World Congress of the Comintern in Moscow,{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} but Falk and ''Mot Dag'' left the Communist Party in 1928.<ref name=maurs/>

Around the same time Falk also lost influence in the Norwegian Students' Society, due to having embezzled money from a construction fund reserve.<ref>Nordby, 1989: pp. 33–35</ref> Money was among others needed to run the publishing house [Fram Forlag](/source/Fram_Forlag). After the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression) in 1929, Falk translated [Karl Marx](/source/Karl_Marx)'s ''[Das Kapital](/source/Das_Kapital)'' to Norwegian, and wrote the book ''Hvad er marxisme?'' (''What is Marxism?'') in 1937. From 1933 he participated in creating the workers' encyclopedia ''[Arbeidernes Leksikon](/source/Arbeidernes_Leksikon)''. However, by the mid-1930s he needed a lighter workload due to declining health. His activity in ''Mot Dag'' declined from the autumn of 1935, which in part led to the dissolution of ''Mot Dag'' in June 1936. In contrast to most of the other members he did not rejoin the Labour Party,<ref name=nbl/> as the party chose to uphold his exclusion.<ref name="snl">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007|title=Erling Falk|encyclopedia=[Store norske leksikon](/source/Store_norske_leksikon)|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/Erling_Falk|editor=Henriksen, Petter|language=Norwegian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209210700/https://snl.no/Erling_Falk|archive-date=2021-12-09|accessdate=27 December 2009}}</ref> One day before the [German invasion of Norway](/source/Operation_Weser%C3%BCbung) in April 1940, Falk left the country for [Stockholm](/source/Stockholm) to undergo [brain surgery](/source/brain_surgery). He had two surgeries, but died on 31 July 1940. He was buried at [Vestre gravlund](/source/Vestre_gravlund) in Norway.<ref name=nbl/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falk, Erling}}
Category:1887 births
Category:1940 deaths
Category:People from Hemnes Municipality
Category:Labour Party (Norway) politicians
Category:Communist Party of Norway politicians
Category:Mot Dag
Category:Norwegian expatriates in the United States
Category:Industrial Workers of the World members
Category:Translators from German
Category:Norwegian male writers
Category:Norwegian expatriates in Sweden
Category:Burials at Vestre gravlund

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Erling Falk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erling_Falk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erling_Falk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.