Journey to a Revolution: A Personal Memoir and History of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956

by Michael Korda

Book Overview

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was not just an extraordinary and dramatic event--perhaps the most dramatic single event of the Cold War--but, as we can now see fifty years later, a major turning point in history. Here is an eyewitness account, in the tradition of George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia . The spontaneous rising of Hungarian people against the Hungarian communist party and the Soviet forces in Hungary in the wake of Stalin's death, while...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060772611
• ISBN13: 9780060772611
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Great book

I recommend this enlightening and fun narrative of Korda's trip to Budapest as a great starting point in learning about the attempted revolution. While it surely lacks detailed information on policy and Cold War era geopolitical relations, it gives a great sense of what it was like to actually be there. Reading it makes me jealous of Korda's bold trip to a historical event like this. Buy this book for anyone, particularly an adventursome older child, or any reader who enjoys history. It is too bad that European history in the U.S. is taught only about England and France mainly. The Eastern countries have a history that's just as rich and more interesting. However I didn't even know about the revolution until I visited Budapest, and in college I still have to really seek out information on Hungary. This is the type of book that if more people read could break that unfairness and get more students to understand this increasingly important and beautiful country's past.

Journey to a Revolution

I'm going to start off bluntly by saying...not my cup of tea. But I must admit, Michael Korda's Journey to a Revolution was definitely intelligently written. The language and style of the book was certainly a challenge for me (hint: I don't really read). It's very smart and the character has a good sense of humor considering what is going on around him. This novel truly takes the reader on a journey from beginning to end. Basically, in a nut shell, the book goes over the history of Hungary, a small country that has gone through a whole lot to reach the freedom it has reached today. Korda gives us great insight to events before, during and after the 1956 Revolution. The 1956 Revolution was a huge milestone for Hungary in the sense that it showed the great courage of the Hungarians not only fighting for their country but fighting alone. And even though a happy ending came years from then, this revolution helped bring down a power that thought it could take over the world. Using elaborate details, the reader learns about what a Hungarian really is, their pride and courage, and every detail about Hungary's fight for freedom. Best of all, the author, also the main character, was a true eye witness. He really did go on this journey to Hungary and described the events as seen by his owns eyes. He lived and breathed the events he speaks about while he was in Hungary in the time where the freedom fighters had thought they had won the revolution. Who better to tell a tale then a person who lives to tell? He describes scenes such as dead bodies hanging from poles and smells such as burned fleshed and gasoline. It leaves no room for sugar coating; just straight forward to what is being witnessed. Korda, in the novel, was a privileged young man, who gathers a couple of friends and some much needed items and road trips to Hungary. He has a couple of scares on the way dealing with situations that could've gotten them killed. But he is very intelligent and finds his way out of trouble. For example, they made a stop for gas in a bad neighborhood and basically find themselves in a bar like restaurant with a pretty mean crowd. Knowing that they might get jumped if they mention anything about money, the narrator trades liquor for gas and heads out on his continued journey to their destination. Aside from that, the novel is well researched and very matter-of-fact. Also, we learn about some events that were happening elsewhere that kept the world's eyes off what was going on in the streets of Hungary. It was even mentioned that these events were on purpose and the Russians took advantage of that, pulling the rug from under the Hungarian's feet. The book is just full of history that not many people take into account. Though I usually don't read books of this genre, I give major credit to the author for giving a plate of history with a side of wit.

From Britian to Budapest

Perfect reading for a long airplane flight. Especially good for one with a desire to learn about, or be reminded of, the sad events of 1956; or, for one simply interested in a quick rundown on the history and culture of Hungary. Michael Korda is a gifted writer with a most interesting personal history. He relates this serious tale from his youth in a bemused, understated way.

Good read; a few quirks

My wife was born and raised in Hungary and her father and his family were arrested and returned to Budapest for trying to cross the border with Austria, so I was eager to read the book. Although the book is described as being about the revolution, it is really about the political history of Hungary from the beginning of the 1900s up to the '56 revolution, with a few tidbits beyond. I was glad to get the broader perspective. The author is of hungarian descent and doesn't miss many opportunity to speak proudly of hungarians in general. While there have been many, many, examples of impressive hungarians on the world stage over the last century, it sometimes comes off as a bit over-the-top boastful in places, primarily the early part of the book. The other odd quirk is that he repeatedly refers to hungarians fleeing over the hungarian border with West Germany. The problem is that Hungary proper (as opposed to the Austro-Hungarian empire) never had a shared border with West Germany. Certainly not in '56. At first I thought this was a typo or simply a gramatical error, but it is repeated probably a half dozen times throughout the book. This is unfortunate because it makes you question the fact-checking. But these irritations should not discourage readers interested in modern Hungary or even in understanding the "start of the end" of communism in central europe.