Orban

'Lendvai's excellent book is a lively account of how one very smart politician has changed the weather in his own country. It is also an invaluable guide to what has happened over the past years elsewhere in the erstwhile Eastern bloc, while the rest of Europe has barely been noticing.' -- The Sunday Times 'Thoughtful, entertaining biography ... The value of Lendvai's book lies in his penetrating explanation of why Hungary's post-1989 institutions have proved so vulnerable to Mr Orban's assault.' -- The Financial Times 'Paul Lendvai, a veteran eastern Europe watcher, tracks the career of a man who started out as an anti-communist rebel and gradually turned into an autocrat ... [Lendvai] has become the doyen of central European analysis.' -- The Times 'What Lendvai says in his new biography of Orbn should be taken seriously.' -- The Times Literary Supplement 'Viktor Orbn, Hungary's prime minister, has become infamous for his ruthless crackdown on refugees and embrace of an unabashed nationalism. This first English-language biography of Orban captures how he turned himself into one of the most successful populist autocrats of our times.' 'Lendvai's book is both a profile of the man and a potted history of Hungarian politics since 1989. Unlike most journalists who pass hasty judgment on the country, Lendvai is well-informed.' -- The Spectator 'In this well-informed and up-to-date biography of Orbn. . . Lendvai offers a detailed account of when and how [he] changed his spots over the years. . . . Lendvai's fair-minded book is a reminder that the lobbyists' claims about Orbn's democratic credentials and his goodwill toward the United States are fake news . . . As Lendvai makes it clear, he should be taken seriously.' '[Either] Mr. Orbn has always been a right-wing nationalist and merely adopted the guise of a Central European dissident to curry favor with Western liberal elites [or] the other, less charitable explanation is that Mr. Orbn is a power-hungry opportunist. The truth, according to Paul Lendvai in his new book, "Orbn", is that he is both--and all the more dangerous for that. . . In a country as inscrutable as Hungary, Mr. Lendvai makes a valuable guide.' 'Paul Lendvai's book is sobering reading and its telling of the widespread corruption in Fidesz and the Orbn family is carefully researched. After laying down his brief to be truthful and dispassionate, he succeeds admirably.' '[Q]uietly devastating . . . highly recommended.' -- Prospect Magazine 'An astonishing story, told here in remarkable detail . . . an alarming, worrying and illuminating tale.' 'Brilliantly researched, knowledgable and richly detailed ... [Lendvai] explains why Orbn's Hungary ... is in peril.' -- Sddeutsche Zeitung 'There is no doubt that in order to understand contemporary Hungary, one must truly understand Viktor Orbn. Lendvai's latest book is a must-read for those attempting to undertake this quest.' '[An] uncompromising portrait . . . compelling.' 'This book explains Viktor Orban's evolution from a liberal, pro-Western opponent of communism in the twentieth century to a radical, right-wing and nativist authoritarian in the twenty-first century. It sheds light on how Orban can rightfully claim to be both Vladimir Putin's and Donald J. Trump's ideological soulmate.' -- Charles Gati, Senior Research Professor, School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University 'Only very few people know Hungary and the personalities active there so well as does Paul Lendvai. Anyone seeking to gain a clear picture of developments in Central and Eastern Europe cannot ignore this book.' -- Dr Heinz Fischer, Federal President of Austria, 2006-2016 'Paul Lendvai covers an impressive

Paul Lendvai is a Hungarian-born Austrian journalist who worked as a correspondent for the Financial Times for more than two decades. He is the author of Hungary: Between Democracy and Authoritarianism; Inside Austria: New Challenges, Old Demons; and Blacklisted: A Journalist's Life in Central Europe.