Translated with an introduction and notes by Albert Tezla.

A seamless combination of the political, literary and personal history of postwar Hungary. This scathing, at times humorous, and always insightful memoir by exiled Hungarian novelist Sandor Marai provides one of the most poignant and humanly alive portraits of life in Hungary between the German occupation in 1944 and the solidification of communist power in 1948. Both a fervent anti-fascist and anti-communist, Marai draws a vivid portrait of the Hungarian peasantry and middle class during this period, while delivering a telling indictment of the communist system from which he fled. Witty, aphoristic and psychologically clear-sighted, this memoir depicts the tragedy and pathos of a crucial period in the postwar history of a nation which has been central to both the communist and the postcommunist history of our times. About the author Sandor Marai (1900-1989) published 46 books, mostly novels, before leaving Hungary for political reasons in September 1948. He was considered to be Hungary's most influential representative of middle-class literature between the wars. After leaving Hungary and settling in the United States, he continued to write prolifically. He died in 1989, apparently taking his own life, and in the same year was awarded the Kossuth Prize, Hungary's highest award for literature.