Overview

The Hungarians are a fascinating people. They have little common ancestry with most other Europeans (their closest relatives are the Finns) and their sense of being different has no doubt been strengthened both by their country's distinguished history and by its more recent experience of being fought over by others. The book gives an humorous, insightful and interesting account of what makes them tick.

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9781902825311

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Reviews

A brief pen portrait of a nation and its people and even the odd humorous dig at their subject without being politically incorrect. <br>-- Lancashire Evening Telegraph <br><br> Short, aphoristic, seriously funny, not that xenophobic and almost entirely apt guide, perfect homework for the fortunate on ferry or plane. <br>-- The Observer <br>

A brief pen portrait of a nation and its people and even the odd humorous dig at their subject without being politically incorrect. <br>-- Lancashire Evening Telegraph <br> Short, aphoristic, seriously funny, not that xenophobic and almost entirely apt guide, perfect homework for the fortunate on ferry or plane. <br>-- The Observer <br>

Author Information

Matyas Sarkozi's great-grandfather was a newspaper editor and a feared political leader writer. His grandmother was the first woman war correspondent in 1914, and his grandfather (Ferenc Molnar) wrote some internationally successful plays. His father was a lyric poet, his mother ran a literary magazine, so he wanted to be a painter. This is why when he arrived in London at the age of 19, he went to art school. But fate had it that he, too, should become a journalist. He works as London correspondent for a Budapest daily paper and broadcasts with the BBC. Although living happily in Britain, he has always remained a Hungarian and after 40 years of residence still roams the streets of London feeling a little bit foreign. The irony is that on innumerable extended visits to his native land, he also feels a little bit foreign. Miklos Vamos lives and works in Budapest. A novelist with 19 works of fiction to his credit, his most recent title Mothers Are Not Chosen By Election topped the best-selling charts for months. Though Vamos is Hungarian for 'customs officer', he always wanted to be a writer. He claims that to get a head start, he began in his mother's womb where he complained about the dark. He also writes film scripts. A Fulbright scholarship (1988-90) gave him a marvellous opportunity to study drama at Yale. Unfortunately, while doing so, he missed the real life drama of Hungary's final push for freedom. As a result, he experiences a touch of paranoia every time he leaves his native land.

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