Trivia

He was an editor at a literary monthly, then became a social worker and wrote studies on sociology. His first novel, "The Case Worker," was inspired by his job as a children's welfare officer and was condemned by the Communist Party. For years, his writing appeared in the underground "samizdat" press.

He was a writer and sociologist who was prominent in Hungary's dissident movement while the country was under communist rule.

He was born into a Jewish family. His immediate family survived the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of several relatives.

He attended university in Budapest and finished his studies in 1956, despite being expelled twice. As punishment for his role in the aborted anti-Soviet uprising in 1956, he lost his job and was unemployed for three years.

President of PEN International1990-1993 .