Paul Lendvai – författare

A leading Central European journalist investigates how political and intellectual elites in Europe’s democracies underestimate and enable the continent’s authoritarians—from the Cold War onwards. ‘Putin has obviously deceived everyone.’ These were the words of Manuela Schwesig, First Minister of the German state Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She was trying to explain why her federal government had been so closely implicated in Russia’s controversial completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Why have other German, Austrian and European politicians and commentators so often got it so very wrong in their assessments of Moscow policy? Why has the EU been so slow to recognise the danger posed to its liberal values by nationalist autocrats such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary? And why have lessons from past blunders in Western policy—particularly in the Balkans—and the example of German Ostpolitik gone ignored, until it was too late? Paul Lendvai, a veteran reporter on the continent’s centre and east, exposes the role of double standards embraced, blind eyes turned and human and political weakness overlooked in policies of appeasement towards Europe’s authoritarian regimes, past and present. Combining analysis of new developments with decades of personal experience as a correspondent, he provides fascinating political profiles in deceit, sketching both the victims and the perpetrators of political fraud in Central and Eastern Europe.

A no-holds-barred biography of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has become a pivotal figure in European politics since 2010, this is the first English- language study of the erstwhile anti-communist rebel turned populist autocrat. Through a masterly and cynical manipulation of ethnic nationalism, generating fear of migrants and deep-rooted corruption, Orbán has exploited successive electoral victories to build a closely knit and super-rich oligarchy. He holds unfettered power in Hungary and is regarded as the single most powerful leader within the European Union. Orbán''s ambitions are far-reaching. Hailed by governments and far-right politicians as a symbol of a new anti-Brussels nationalism, his ruthless crackdown on refugees, his open break with normative values and his undisguised admiration for Presidents Putin and Trump mean he poses a formidable challenge to Angela Merkel and the survival of liberal democracy in a divided Europe. Drawing on access to exclusive documents and numerous interviews, celebrated veteran journalist Paul Lendvai paints a compelling portrait of the most successful and, arguably, most dangerous politician in Hungarian history.

A no-holds-barred biography of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has become a pivotal figure in European politics since 2010, this is the first English- language study of the erstwhile anti-communist rebel turned populist autocrat. Through a masterly and cynical manipulation of ethnic nationalism, generating fear of migrants and deep-rooted corruption, Orbán has exploited successive electoral victories to build a closely knit and super-rich oligarchy. He holds unfettered power in Hungary and is regarded as the single most powerful leader within the European Union. Orbán''s ambitions are far-reaching. Hailed by governments and far-right politicians as a symbol of a new anti-Brussels nationalism, his ruthless crackdown on refugees, his open break with normative values and his undisguised admiration for Presidents Putin and Trump mean he poses a formidable challenge to Angela Merkel and the survival of liberal democracy in a divided Europe. Drawing on access to exclusive documents and numerous interviews, celebrated veteran journalist Paul Lendvai paints a compelling portrait of the most successful and, arguably, most dangerous politician in Hungarian history.

This book deals with the Communist mass media, their structure, function and control, combining common features and variations in each country. It discusses the significance and consequences of the Helsinki accords and the Eastern record of implementation in 1975.

On October 23, 1956, a popular uprising against Soviet rule swept through Hungary like a force of nature, only to be mercilessly crushed by Soviet tanks twelve days later. Only now, fifty years after those harrowing events, can the full story be told. This book is a powerful eyewitness account and a gripping history of the uprising in Hungary that heralded the future liberation of Eastern Europe. Paul Lendvai was a young journalist covering politics in Hungary when the uprising broke out. He knew the government officials and revolutionaries involved. He was on the front lines of the student protests and the bloody street fights and he saw the revolutionary government smashed by the Red Army. In this riveting, deeply personal, and often irreverent book, Lendvai weaves his own experiences with in-depth reportage to unravel the complex chain of events leading up to and including the uprising, its brutal suppression, and its far-reaching political repercussions in Hungary and neighboring Eastern Bloc countries. He draws upon exclusive interviews with Russian and former KGB officials, survivors of the Soviet backlash, and relatives of those executed.He reveals new evidence from closed tribunals and documents kept secret in Soviet and Hungarian archives. Lendvai's breathtaking narrative shows how the uprising, while tragic, delivered a stunning blow to Communism that helped to ultimately bring about its demise. One Day That Shook the Communist World is the best account of these unprecedented events.

This book deals with the Communist mass media, their structure, function and control, combining common features and variations in each country. It discusses the significance and consequences of the Helsinki accords and the Eastern record of implementation in 1975.

This book deals with the Communist mass media, their structure, function and control, combining common features and variations in each country. It discusses the significance and consequences of the Helsinki accords and the Eastern record of implementation in 1975.

This book, by an author uniquely qualified to describe and comment on the Hungarian situation, is the first to look at Hungary from the post-Kadar perspective.Hungary was the first Soviet satellite state to be invaded by Soviet troops. Janos Kadar, its Party leader for 32 years, took office in 1956 at the head of a government determinedly submissive to Moscow. Hungarians thought he had sold out. Yet over the next quarter century, Kadar quietly extended the limits of Soviet tolerance by gradualist reforms. He did not rock the Moscow boat, Paul Lendvai argues, but within the constraints of loyalty to the Warsaw Pact and to Moscow’s supremacy, he proceeded to improve the quality of Hungarian life. Just how this happened is the subject of this book.

A no-holds-barred biography of Viktor Orbán, the most successful--and arguably most dangerous--politician in Hungarian history.Through a masterly and cynical manipulation of ethnic nationalism, and deep-rooted corruption, Prime Minister Orbán has exploited successive electoral victories to build a closely knit and super-rich oligarchy. More than any other EU leader, he wields undisputed power over his people.Orbán's ambitions are far-reaching. Hailed by governments and far-right politicians as the champion of a new anti-Brussels nationalism, his ruthless crackdown on refugees, his open break with normative values and his undisguised admiration for Presidents Putin and Trump pose a formidable challenge to the survival of liberal democracy in a divided Europe. Mining exclusive documents and interviews, celebrated journalist Paul Lendvai sketches the extraordinary rise of Orbán, an erstwhile anti-communist rebel turned populist autocrat. His compelling portrait reveals a man with unfettered power.

This is a comprehensive history of a legendarily proud and passionate but lonely people. Much of Europe once knew them as 'child-devouring cannibals' and 'bloodthirsty Huns', but it was not long before the Hungarians became steadfast defenders of Christendom and fought heroic freedom struggles against the Tartars, the Turks and, among others, the Russians.Paul Lendvai tells how, despite a string of catastrophes and their linguistic and cultural isolation, the Hungarians have survived as a nation-state for more than 1,000 years. He traces Hungarian politics, culture, economics and emotions, from the Magyars' dramatic entry into the Carpathian Basin in 896 to the brink of the post-Cold War era. Lendvai brings to life the short-lived revolutionary triumphs of 1848-9 and 1918-19; the traumatic Treaty of Trianon (1920) which deprived Hungary of Transylvania and other historic Magyar lands; and the successive Nazi and Communist tyrannies. These are among the episodes that have formed the consciousness of the Hungarian people.Through anecdotes of heroes and traitors, victors and victims, geniuses and impostors, Lendvai conveys the multifaceted interplay of progressivism and economic modernisation, versus intolerance and narrow-minded nationalism, on the grand stage of Hungarian history. This work is a blend of narrative, irony and humour; of occasional anger without taboos or prejudices. It also offers an authoritative key to understanding how and why this corner of Europe has produced such a galaxy of great scientists, artists and entrepreneurs.

This is a comprehensive history of a legendarily proud and passionate but lonely people. Much of Europe once knew them as ‘child-devouring cannibals’ and ‘bloodthirsty Huns’, but it was not long before the Hungarians became steadfast defenders of Christendom and fought heroic freedom struggles against the Tartars, the Turks and, among others, the Russians.Paul Lendvai tells how, despite a string of catastrophes and their linguistic and cultural isolation, the Hungarians have survived as a nation-state for more than 1,000 years. He traces Hungarian politics, culture, economics and emotions, from the Magyars’ dramatic entry into the Carpathian Basin in 896 to the brink of the post–Cold War era. Lendvai brings to life the short-lived revolutionary triumphs of 1848-9 and 1918-19; the traumatic Treaty of Trianon (1920) which deprived Hungary of Transylvania and other historic Magyar lands; and the successive Nazi and Communist tyrannies. These are among the episodes that have formed the consciousness of the Hungarian people.Through anecdotes of heroes and traitors, victors and victims, geniuses and impostors, Lendvai conveys the multifaceted interplay of progressivism and economic modernisation, versus intolerance and narrow-minded nationalism, on the grand stage of Hungarian history. This work is a blend of narrative, irony and humour; of occasional anger without taboos or prejudices. It also offers an authoritative key to understanding how and why this corner of Europe has produced such a galaxy of great scientists, artists and entrepreneurs.

Austria has long been considered a European success story: a land-locked country on the losing side of World War Two, which emerged from ten years of post-war occupation as one of the EU’s richest member-states, a symbol of social consensus and political independence at the heart of Europe. But in the 2020s, the forward march of the far-right populist FPÖ threatens the return of old demons: extreme xenophobic racism, and economic and political instability. The governing partnership between Austria’s youngest-ever Chancellor and the extreme-right party lasted less than two years, but has left a wreckage of corruption scandals, including an ongoing investigation of fraud at the top. A cosy relationship with Russia, particularly President Putin, has cast a shadow over Austria’s neutrality and reputation as a reliable EU partner. Belated confrontation of the Nazi past and the lingering legacy of the imperial nobility further muddy the waters, while the long decline of social democracy—the bedrock of post-war nation-building—has been equalled by the weak performance of the ruling conservative–green coalition, damaging trust in democracy. Mixing personal memories with high political drama, Paul Lendvai reveals the knotted web of forces which have driven Austria to its current perilous state.Paul Lendvai, a Hungarian-born Austrian journalist

Austria has long been considered a European success story: a land-locked country on the losing side of World War Two, which emerged from ten years of post-war occupation as one of the EU’s richest member-states, a symbol of social consensus and political independence at the heart of Europe. But in the 2020s, the forward march of the far-right populist FPÖ threatens the return of old demons: extreme xenophobic racism, and economic and political instability. The governing partnership between Austria’s youngest-ever Chancellor and the extreme-right party lasted less than two years, but has left a wreckage of corruption scandals, including an ongoing investigation of fraud at the top. A cosy relationship with Russia, particularly President Putin, has cast a shadow over Austria’s neutrality and reputation as a reliable EU partner. Belated confrontation of the Nazi past and the lingering legacy of the imperial nobility further muddy the waters, while the long decline of social democracy—the bedrock of post-war nation-building—has been equalled by the weak performance of the ruling conservative–green coalition, damaging trust in democracy. Mixing personal memories with high political drama, Paul Lendvai reveals the knotted web of forces which have driven Austria to its current perilous state.Paul Lendvai, a Hungarian-born Austrian journalist

Putin has obviously deceived everyone. These were the words of Manuela Schwesig, First Minister of the German state Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She was trying to explain why her federal government had been so closely implicated in Russias controversial completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Why have other German, Austrian and European politicians and commentators so often got it so very wrong in their assessments of Moscow policy? Why has the EU been so slow to recognise the danger posed to its liberal values by nationalist autocrats such as Viktor Orbn of Hungary? And why have lessons from past blunders in Western policyparticularly in the Balkansand the example of GermanOstpolitikgone ignored, until it was too late?Paul Lendvai, a veteran reporter on the continents centre and east, exposes the role of double standards embraced, blind eyes turned and human and political weakness overlooked in policies of appeasement towards Europes authoritarian regimes, past and present. Combining analysis of new developments with decades of personal experience as a correspondent, he provides fascinating political profiles in deceit, sketching both the victims and the perpetrators of political fraud in Central and Eastern Europe.

Paul Lendvai, born a Hungarian Jew, was arrested by the Nazis as a teenager, became a young communist activist in post-war Budapest, was arrested by the communists, again survived as one of the country's youngest political prisoners, and on his release was blacklisted as a journalist by the communist regime. After fleeing to Vienna following the 1956 Revolution, Lendvai was to become a leading journalist and commentator on eastern Europe. In this prize-winning memoir, he paints a picture of ethnic hatred, political turbulence and murderous anti-Semitism, as well as the swings between treachery and compromise which have characterized the history of 20th-century central Europe. There are descriptions of encounters with killers, torturers, onlookers and victims, traitors and heroes. In preparing the book, Lendvai had access to many previously unseen secret police files of Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Hungary.

Paul Lendvai blickt zurück auf ein aufregendes Leben zwischen Ost und West: Im Gespräch mit der renommierten ungarischen Journalistin Zsófia Mihancsik erzählt er von den Jahren der Verfolgung als jüdischer Jugendlicher im Budapest der Vierzigerjahre, vom Berufsverbot und der Internierung als "politisch Unzuverlässiger" Anfang der Fünfzigerjahre in Ungarn und seiner aufregenden Flucht 1956 über Prag und Warschau nach Wien. Seinen beeindruckenden Weg zum international bekannten Journalisten und weltweit anerkannten Osteuropa-Experten, der in Österreich seine zweite Heimat gefunden hat, schildert er ebenso wie Anekdoten aus dem Arbeitsalltag eines politischen Journalisten. Zentrales Thema des Buches sind auch seine Ansichten und Einsichten über sein Vaterland Ungarn sowie die schockierende Verleumdungskampagne, mit der ihn heute ungarische Nationalisten wegen seiner schonungslosen Analyse in seinem letzten Ungarn-Buch attackieren.Darüber hinaus berichtet er, ohne etwas schönzureden, mit Humor und Selbstironie über persönliche Erlebnisse und erschütternde Begebenheiten in seiner Familie sowie über Privates, das bislang der Öffentlichkeit unbekannt war.

Zwanzig Jahre nach der Wende erlebt Europa einen dramatischen Szenenwechsel in Ungarn. Zum ersten Mal wird das Land mit einer Zweidrittelmehrheit von einer national-rechtskonservativen Partei regiert. Die Rechtsradikalen stiegen zur drittstärksten Kraft im Parlament auf. Die Sozialisten haben die Hälfte ihrer Wähler verloren. Wie konnte der einst bewunderte Schrittmacher der Reformen in der kommunistischen Welt zum besorgniserregenden Krisenherd mit starken rechtsradikalen Kräften werden? Wird der Wahlsieger, Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán durch einen nationalbetonten Kurs die zwischenstaatlichen Spannungen in Mitteleuropa verschärfen? Was ist der Hintergrund der starken fremdenfeindlichen, rassistischen und antisemitischen Töne in den Medien? Wird die neue Regierung die Wirtschaftskrise bewältigen und den weiteren Aufstieg der Rechtsextremisten verhindern können? Im Spiegel der Begegnungen mit Schlüsselfiguren aus Politik undWirtschaft, Kultur und Medien beschreibt Paul Lendvai, einer der renommiertesten Ostexperten Europas, Ungarn im Umbruch und bringt dem Leser die verblüffende Geschichte der letzten 20 Jahre seines Heimatlandes ohne Tabus und Vorurteile näher.

Ein zutiefst persönlicher und zugleich spannender Bericht: über die Komplexe und Ängste der Österreicher, das Zerrbild und die Mythen der Zweiten Republik, den Aufstieg und Fall ihrer prägenden Persönlichkeiten, das Erlebte im "guten Österreich" und die einzigartige Erfolgsbilanz eines halben Jahrhunderts. Im Spiegel der Begegnungen mit herausragenden Persönlichkeiten aus Politik, Wirtschaft und Medien (u.a. mit Josef Klaus, Bruno Kreisky, Kurt Waldheim, Rudolf Kirchschläger und Thomas Klestil) entsteht ein unverwechselbares Bild des neuen Österreichs, geschildert von einem einstigen Ungarn-Flüchtling, der den Kampf gegen österreichfeindliche Klischees – gerade in Krisenzeiten – stets als eine Art Verpflichtung angesehen hat. Persönliche Gespräche mit bekannten Persönlichkeiten (von Androsch bis Vranitzky, von Busek bis Schüssel, von Haider bis Gusenbauer) über brisante Details der Wendezeiten ergänzen die persönlichen Erlebnisse eines, trotz Dankbarkeit für das ihm gewährte Heimatrecht, stets kritisch und wachsam gebliebenen Publizisten.

Paul Lendvai – Journalist und Kenner OsteuropasPaul Lendvai ist mehr als ein Journalist: Er ist ein Kenner Osteuropas und war den Großen und Mächtigen der Welt ein Gesprächspartner. In seinem zehnten Lebensjahrzehnt blickt er für uns noch einmal zurück, auf dass kein falsches Licht aus dem Heute auf die historischen Tatsachen fallen möge:- Messerscharfe Analysen und ein kritischer Blick auf die europäische Politik- Begegnungen mit Machthabern und Politikern, Wissenschaftlern und Künstlern und berühmten Persönlichkeiten wie Melvin Lasky, Walter Laqueur und George Soros- Zeitgeschichte aus erster Hand: Paul Lendvai ist Chefredakteur der Europäischen Rundschau, Leiter des ORF-Europastudios, Kolumnist für den Standard- Polen und Ungarn, Albanien, der Zerfall Jugoslawiens und der Balkankrieg: Hintergrundwissen zur Geschichte Osteuropas- Biographische Erinnerungen eines großen Journalisten aus Österreich – persönlich, präzise, pointiert Europa im Umbruch- Analysen eines ZeitzeugenHistorische Wenden und politische Zäsuren hat Paul Lendvai, der 1929 in Budapest geboren wurde und seit 1957 in Wien lebt, etliche erlebt. Über vieles, was wir nur aus Lehrbüchern und den Nachrichten kennen, berichtet Paul Lendvai aus erster Hand – so zum Beispiel über den Aufstand in Ungarn 1956, das Ende des Kalten Krieges und die Wende 1989/90 in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Sein umfangreiches Wissen und sein Blick in die Vergangenheit helfen uns, heutige Politiker wie Václav Klaus und Viktor Orbán besser einzuschätzen und die komplexen Verflechtungen der Geschichte Osteuropas zu verstehen.Seine Erinnerungen an herausragende Persönlichkeiten und Anekdoten aus einem bewegten Journalistenleben machen dieses Buch zu einem einzigartigen Schatzkästlein der Zeitgeschichte!

Tausend Jahre Ungarn: Ein Streifzug durch die Geschichte des Magyaren-StaatsEine einzigartige Sprache, eine Geschichte geprägt von Siegen und Niederlagen, von Eroberungen und Besetzungen: Was macht die nationale Identität der Ungarn aus?Kenntnisreich und fundiert zeichnet Paul Lendvai die historische Entwicklung Ungarns nach, ergänzt dabei den geschichtlichen Überblick mit biografischen Skizzen und persönlichen Anekdoten. So wird das Porträt des ungarischen Staates zu einer abwechslungsreichen und unterhaltsamen Lektüre.Dem Standardwerk wurden in dieser Ausgabe zwei neue Kapitel hinzugefügt: Eines behandelt den Übergang vom autoritären staatssozialistischen System zur liberalen Demokratie, das andere die Ära Orbán mit seinem neuen Nationalismus.- Umfassender Überblick: Ungarn von seiner Entstehung bis heute- Ungarn im Spannungsfeld ethnischer Konstellationen und politischer Entwicklungen- Kriege und Krisen: Wer sind die Helden und Opfer in Ungarns bewegter Geschichte?- Was nach der Wende geschah: Zusätzliche Kapitel beleuchten die letzten 30 Jahre der ungarischen Geschichte- Aktualisierte und erweiterte Neuauflage mit umfangreichem Bildmaterial- Paul Lendvai ist renommierter Journalist, Osteuropa-Experte und Autor der preisgekrönten Viktor Orbán BiografieLeben in Ungarn heute: Was wir aus der Geschichte lernen könnenEs gibt kaum eine Nation, die von so vielen Klischees umwoben ist wie die der Magyaren. Wie wurden aus "kinderfressenden Kannibalen" und "blutrünstigen Hunnen" die Verteidiger des christlichen Abendlandes und heldenhafte Freiheitskämpfer gegen Mongolen, Türken und Russen? Wie kam es zur Katastrophe von Mohács und welche Spuren hat die Habsburgermonarchie hinterlassen?Paul Lendvai leuchtet Ungarns Geschichte in seiner ganzen Bandbreite aus: von den Bruchlinien und Verwerfungen in der europäischen Geschichte bis zu den jüngsten Entwicklungen in Politik und Gesellschaft.Detailliert und fesselnd erzählt entsteht so das facettenreiche Bild einer der Herzkammern Mitteleuropas!