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A kampányguru

English title: The Campaign Guru
Publisher: Ulpius Ház – 2013

My first, and so far only, novel, in which I tried to write about the dark affairs of the Hungarian political elite in an entertaining form. According to the story, a peculiar coup attempt begins in the contemporary Hungarian capital, involving betrayal, blackmail and conspiracy. Through a distinctive blend of real and imagined events, characters and locations, the dirty world of the Hungarian political elite unfolds before us.

Curiously, there was a politician who recognized himself in one of the fictional characters and objected to the fact that I had written about a story concerning him that had not previously been known to others. That was how I found out that an incident which had previously circulated only as a rumour had in fact really happened. In principle, the novel was supposed to have a sequel, but Ulpius went bankrupt in the meantime, and I was swept away by European politics.

Perhaps one day I will still have the opportunity to continue it — I certainly have more than enough experience for it.

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Gilbert – Egy megbuktatott magyar kém igaz története

English title: Gilbert – The True Story of a Hungarian Spy Who Was Brought Down
Publisher: Dela – 2006

It was through my work as a journalist that I came to know Ottó Gilbert, whose life story belongs not only in a book, but on the cinema screen as well. In 1980s America, he was described as one of the greatest intelligence catches of the century.

He was seen as a notorious spy from the communist bloc, although in reality he was simply a Hungarian vagabond: an adventurous young man from Budapest who was willing to face any danger in order to serve his country. But his country betrayed him.

After a failed intelligence operation, Ottó Gilbert spent ten years in American prisons for espionage. I spent long days in his living room, where he told story after story. This small book is the transcript of those conversations.

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Hazugságok barikádjain

English title: On the Barricades of Lies
Publisher: Dela – 2006

This book did not seek to pass judgement on either Ferenc Gyurcsány or Viktor Orbán during the period of unrest. It simply collected the events, statements and contradictions so that, amid the political chaos, at least some people could see clearly what had happened in democratic Hungary — sixteen years after a peaceful regime change. It succeeded in creating a particular snapshot of that period, and reading it again today, I still find some of its contents surprising.

Skócia – A szoknyás férfiak földjén

English title: Scotland – In the Land of Men in Kilts
Publisher: Kossuth Kiadó – 2003

One of the most important and valuable parts of my writing and journalistic period was this travel book about Scotland. Not only because, before writing it, I spent a month traveling around the Scottish countryside — not for the first time, but this time specifically for the sake of the book — sleeping in car parks and student hostels, bathing in Highland streams, living through countless adventures and, in the process, getting to know myself much better as well.

Of course, with the distance of so many years, I would now write this book with a different focus and different content. Even so, it remains one of the most important works of my life so far.

One piece of feedback says it all: a few years after the book was published, I was standing at the reception desk of a student hostel in Edinburgh when a young man behind me heard that I was Hungarian. We started talking, and it soon turned out that he had come to Scotland precisely because he had bought my book back home, read it, and wanted to see the country with his own eyes. I could not have received better feedback than that.

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Magyar lányok a háremben

English title: Hungarian Girls in the Harem
Publisher: B.U.S. Press – 2002

My first book was born after I wrote an investigative series of articles for the Hungarian tabloid Blikk about Hungarian girls providing certain “special services” in Dubai — most of them secretly. At the time, the phenomenon known in Hungarian as “dubajozás/dubai-ing”, meaning the entertainment of wealthy local men, was still a taboo subject.

I was the first to speak to several people involved who were willing to describe the darker sides, pressures and constraints of this world. After the article series was published, the publisher approached me and asked me to write about the subject in a longer and more comprehensive form. I was inexperienced and still learning, but very enthusiastic, so I quickly took on the challenge. Today, I would only let such a book leave my hands with far more caution, more careful editing and a more conscious approach to content. Still, I certainly do not disown it.

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Translations

Szerelmem, Skócia!

Englsih title: My Love, Scotland!
Publisher: Albannach Scottish Cultural Association

This was a truly serious passion project. Edited by the excellent writer and poet István Turczi, and published by the Albannach Scottish Cultural Association, which I led at the time, the volume brought together previously unpublished Scottish poems and short stories, as well as works by contemporary Hungarian poets on Scottish themes. It also included a Robert Burns poem and a Runrig song lyric translated by me. Beyond its role in cultural bridge-building, the volume also had a charitable purpose: we intended to support the Peter Cerny Foundation and its work in neonatal emergency care.

Szexkalauz nagyvárosi nőknek

English title: Sex Guide for Metropolitan Women
Publisher: Kossuth Kiadó – 2006

That year was a very productive one. Alongside my own book, I also received several translation assignments, and I threw myself into them with great enthusiasm. I will not deny that translating a sex guide for women was the most embarrassing of these tasks — but also all the more interesting and humorous as a challenge. It should be added that I received the assignment because the publisher’s female translator was on maternity leave at the time, so I was, in effect, a stand-in. People are still surprised to see my name in a book of this kind, but I am genuinely proud of this work as well. I learned a great deal from it, in every sense.

Columbo

William Harrington: Columbo – Az FBI árnyékában (William Harrington: Columbo – In the Shadow of the FBI)
William Harrington: Columbo – A gyilkos tévésztár (William Harrington: Columbo – The Murderous TV Star)

Publisher: M&C Kft. – 2006

This was an extremely exciting invitation, especially because back then, like many of my peers, I was a huge fan of the famous detective’s stories on television. So, I was delighted to accept the task of translating some of these printed investigations into Hungarian. There were times when a story had to be finished in just a few days—and back then, AI-supported translation software was still a long way off. Instead, there were all-nighters and triple shots of coffee. But it was a great adventure.