Lubor J. Zink

Who was Lubor J. Zink?

Lubor J. Zink was a Czech-Canadian writer and columnist known for his anti-Communism.

Zink was born in Klapý, Czechoslovakia. He was a student at Prague University in March 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the country. A member of the Czech underground movement, Zink fled to Britain and joined the exiled Czech army. He earned three commendations for bravery during World War II.

Following the war, Zink returned to his homeland and joined the Czech language service of Radio Prague, the international broadcasting station operated by the Foreign Ministry. Zink's reports were heard by Czechs living abroad and, after the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia took power in a 1948 coup, his broadcasts became anti-government. He subsequently lost his job and went into hiding until he, his wife and two-year old son could flee to England.

He moved to Canada in 1958 and became editor of the Brandon Sun in Manitoba. His editorials won him a National Newspaper Award in 1961 and he was offered a job with the Toronto Telegram as an Ottawa-based columnist. When the Telegram folded in 1971 he moved to the Toronto Sun, becoming one of the paper's original staffers.