I Kiss Your Hands Many Times

May 13, 2013
This tragic family history weaves together the lives of journalist Szegedy-Maszák’s parents and their extended families with the fate of their native Hungary during and after WWII. The author’s father, Aladár, was a Gentile civil servant in the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, whereas her mother, Hanna, came from a family of Jewish industrialists who converted to Christianity. Aladár and Hanna’s romance blossoms under the shadows of war and anti-Semitism, and continues to grow even after Aladár is shipped off to the Dachau concentration camp for voicing his strong anti-Nazi opinions. Hanna and her family, meanwhile, strike a deal with Heinrich Himmler to trade most of the family’s holdings for passage out of Hungary. In the aftermath of the war, Aladár and Hanna are reunited, and the fragile Hungarian government names him minister to the U.S. Despite his best efforts, he is powerless to prevent the Communist ouster of the democratically elected Hungarian government. Through her parents’ correspondence and other sources, Szegedy-Maszák reveals a father who is by turns “luminous” and broken, a mother who is “hilariously funny and brilliant,” and a nation struggling to find its footing after decades of war and repression. Photos. Agent: Flip Brophy, Sterling Lord Literistic.

Starred review from July 1, 2013
This family memoir is everything you could wish for in the genre: the story of a fascinating family that illuminates the historical time it lived through. The author's father, Aladr, was a diplomat for the Hungarian government, and her mother, Hanna, was part of a wealthy Jewish family. After seeing the madness of Hitler in Berlin, Aladr returns to Budapest to oppose Nazism and is introduced to the lovely Hanna. When the Germans finally invade their cowed ally in 1944, both to seize their industrial resources and correct their insufficiently enthusiastic persecution of Jews, Hanna's family goes into hiding and eventually escapes to Portugal, while Aladr is arrested and almost dies in Dachau. The author's close relation to her subjects results in an occasionally hagiographic tone but also affords unique insights into their experiences. We see the society lady who spits out a bitter Now it's our turn to Hanna's mother after the German invasion, as well as the Nazi officer who, during an interrogation, screams questions at the captured Aladrand then leans in and whispers acceptable replies in his ear. Informative and fascinating in every way, this memoir is a great introduction to WWII Hungary and a moving tale of personal relationships in a time of great duress.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)