Why a Booktrail?
1934 – 1968:A story of three families, one street, one country.
Katalin Street
What you need to know before your trail
Budapest 1934 and 1968 – It’s between this time that Hungary changes beyond recognition – German forces invaded Hungary to enforce the extermination of Jews, then the Soviets who were supposed to liberate the country, instead imposed full Stalinist control from 1949.This is a story of three families whose close connections are cemented during the turbulent times they live as neighbours in the city’s upmarket Katalin Street.
Travel Guide
Travel BookTrail style to Budapest’s Katalin Street
Katalin Street is a story of longing, of a general nostalgic longing for pre-War times. Families have moved from various places to apartments in Katalin Street overlooking the River Danube and they are trapped there, thinking of what life was like before war broke out.
“The apartment was on the sixth floor of a relatively new block on the left bank of the Danube, with views across the river. From its windows they could see their old house. Its façade had been covered in scaffolding for several months now, undergoing redevelopment along with its immediate neighbours. It looked like a childhood friend who, either in anger or a spirit of fun, had put on a mask and forgotten to take it off long after the party had ended.”
One of the families is Jewish so that brings huge problems for them and their friends. Furthermore, the rise to power of the Communist Party changes everything for everyone else.
“It’s so sad. You never could grasp the simplest facts,” he said. “Life. Death. Clean water. Life isn’t a schoolroom, Irén. There aren’t any rules.”
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Katalin Street
Destination/Location : Budapest Author/Guide: Magda Szabó Departure Time: 1934-1968
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