One Day In Budapest (12 page)

Rise of right-wing nationalism in Hungary

We like to think that the horrors of World War II couldn’t happen again, that we are too educated to succumb to ultra-nationalism or the persecution of minorities, that those things happen in other countries, to other people. But that belief is fiction.
 

In December 2012, Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party called for lists of prominent Jews to be drawn up to “protect national security”
http://bit.ly/14zRbCL
. Anti-Semitic violence is growing in Eastern Europe
http://reut.rs/SARA1x
 
and in the wake of the European financial crisis and austerity measures, far right-wing parties are gaining popularity. European genocide happened as recently as the Bosnian War in the 1990s, so we can’t believe that such violence remains in the past or just in ‘other’ areas of the world. With this novella, I wanted to highlight the disturbing political situation, as well as the dark history of Budapest, whose people who have suffered so much.
 

For more, see the following resources:
 

‘My week with Hungary’s Far Right’ by Brian Whelan:
http://bit.ly/12TivWS
 

You can watch part of the video documentary here:
http://bit.ly/13PmB1u
 

Official terror for Hungary’s Roma:
http://bit.ly/AAHJLT
 

Jewish community in Budapest

The Gold Train and settlement are true
http://bit.ly/177Shl8
but of course the involvement of ARKANE and the return of the painting is fictional.
 

You can read more about the Dohany Street Synagogue, the mass grave and the ghetto here:
 

http://www.greatsynagogue.hu/
 

The Shoes of the Danube memorial:
http://bit.ly/8hTopj
 

Other Budapest City Landmarks

All of the landmarks described in the city of Budapest do exist, although the events described in the book are of course fiction.

You can see some of my photos and other pictures here:
http://pinterest.com/jfpenn/budapest/

The House of Terror is an incredible museum now, with the cells as described and rooms full of secret police memorabilia, as well as stories of those lost.
http://www.terrorhaza.hu
 

There really is a labyrinth under Castle Hill that was closed to the public in 2011 under strange circumstances. I have taken liberties with the internal geography, as I couldn’t visit, but you can watch a video on their website that gives you a sense of the place:
http://www.labirintus.com/en/1003/gallery
 

The Memento Park is full of large statues, a memorial to Communism
http://www.mementopark.hu/
 

ABOUT J.F.PENN

Joanna Penn has a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Oxford, Mansfield College and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
 

She lives in London, England but spent 11 years in Australia and New Zealand. Joanna worked for 13 years as an international business consultant within the IT industry but is now a full-time author-entrepreneur. She is the author of the ARKANE series as well as other standalone books.
 

Joanna is a PADI Divemaster and enjoys traveling as often as possible. She is obsessed with religion and psychology and loves to read, drink pinot noir and soak up European culture through art, architecture and food.
 

You can sign up for Joanna’s newsletter and find out more about the ARKANE world here:
 

http://www.JFPenn.com/list/

Connect with Joanna online:
 

(e)
[email protected]

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www.JFPenn.com

(t) @thecreativepenn

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http://www.facebook.com/JFPennAuthor

http://pinterest.com/jfpenn/
 

For writers:
 

Joanna’s business
http://www.TheCreativePenn.com
helps people write, publish and market their books through articles, audio, video and online products as well as live workshops. Joanna is available internationally for speaking events aimed at writers, authors and entrepreneurs.

Connect with Joanna on Twitter
@thecreativepenn

Joanna also has a popular podcast for writers on iTunes,
The Creative Penn

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As always, my love and thanks to Jonathan, my first reader and wonderful husband. And a huge thank you to my readers, I hope that this book has both entertained you and made you think.
 

Thanks to my line editor, Jacqueline Penn, who keeps me on my toes with her insightful challenges. Thanks to author
T.J.Cooke
for his suggestion of the Memorial Park, which turned out to be a great setting for the final scene. Thanks to Meg Tufano for her fantastically detailed beta-reading.
 

Thanks as ever to my cover designer, Derek Murphy from
Creativindie
who did another fantastic job and to Liz Broomfield from
Libroediting
for proofreading the final draft.