Canongate 2000
Bought October 2006
This expanded after-the-event diary and commentary, rather than autobiography, is interesting in several respects. Its content is that of a chronicle of Tivador Soros and his family’s survival in the Second World War in Budapest. Written in a clear and direct style, it brings the horrors and randomness of survival to the fore.
Beyond that, for me there were three points of interest. First, the character of Tivador Soros shines through every page of the text. He is a man accustomed to power and influence, and none of his sense of control seems to leave him during those days in which he hid his family and adopted a false identity. Second, the Hungary he describes is so recognisable from the Hungary of today: the adoption of order and doctrine on the surface, while corruption, hypocrisy and a stubborn arrogance flourish underneath. Finally, the book is interesting in that it was originally written by the author in Esperanto and subsequently translated into English. That the book had to be translated into English to bring it to a wider audience (and that I could not find the Esperanto version) shows the sorry state to which the international has declined.
Overall, this short book is well worth reading.
December 2006
hdsoaw
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