Sebestyen was born in Budapest, before his family left Hungary as refugees. As a journalist, he has worked for numerous British newspapers, including the Daily Mail, The Times and the Evening Standard. He is the author of Twelve Days, Revolution 1989, 1946 and Lenin the Dictator. His books have been published in over sixteen languages.
This book is a delight. Elegant writing, urbane knowledge,
scholarly depth, and a beautifully-sketched cast of warlords,
writers and empresses, communists and kings. Not just a superb
portrait of Budapest but a history of 2,000 years of Central
Europe. * Simon Sebag Montefiore *
[Budapest is] magnificent, a really fine history. I was
completely swept up in it. It's full of fascinating insights from
an author with this city in his blood. Colourful detail and
anecdote make it an exciting and often very entertaining read.
Victor Sebestyen brings the key heroes and villains in Budapest's
history to life. It's vivid, engaging and page-turning. * Victoria
Hislop *
Victor Sebestyen's Budapest is a compelling portrait of one
of the most important cities in Europe. Full of sharp insights,
elegant writing and vivid characters, it is a magisterial work
spanning 2,000 years from the Romans to the present day. * Andrew
Roberts *
The task Victor Sebestyen sets himself is to explain both the
'boundless blindness' (in the words of Crown Prince Rudolf) and the
'extraordinary courage' (in Sebestyen's own) that have led Hungary
to make the choices she has. The result is highly readable ...
[Sebestyen] is excellent on the interwar regent Miklos Horthy. In
fact he is excellent on 20th-century Hungary generally. It is a
complex subject, but Sebestyen has written about it before, and his
hand is very sure. * SPECTATOR *
The most accessible and authoritative history of the city in a
generation. -- Rory Maclean * TLS *
Sebestyen's history of Budapest is full of fascinating facts ...
The narrative swings back and forth between the broad sweep of
Hungary's past and the almost tangible sense of the city: its
streets, its people and its cafes - where the revolution of 1848
began and the words of the national anthem were written. The book
ends with 1989, the fall of communism and the emergence of a young
firebrand named Viktor Orban. For anyone seeking background on
Hungary's recent history, this is an excellent place to start. --
Alix Kroeger * NEW STATESMAN *
Not only a rich portrait of a city but also a masterful survey of
central European history -- Martyn Rady * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE
*
Incisive... Sebestyen writes of his home city with deep knowledge
and unabashed affection. A journalist-turned-historian, he has a
fine eye for detail... Read Sebestyen on Budapest and all you'll
want is to read it again -- Stefan Wagstyl * FINANCIAL TIMES *
Forever caught between East and West, the capital of Hungary
encapsulates the drama of central Europe in its wonders and
horrors. The author, who left the city as a child after the
uprising against communist rule in 1956, excels in describing
Budapest's Habsburg heyday, the historical role of its Jewish
population and the hubris and humiliations that have helped shape
the city * THE ECONOMIST 'Best books of 2022' *
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