Living and Dying in Hungary

About the Book

Th is book was written about his family, his life, and his experiences before World War II was over. It was written more like a clinical record rather than a melodramatic memoir—it is somewhat less, somewhat more than pure literature.

About the Author

Ervin Varga was born in Budapest and hailed from a family of doctors, lawyers, merchants, and a rabbi grandfather. He graduated from the prestigious Jewish Gymnasium, but in 1943, was refused admission to Medical University which then did not accept Jewish applicants. The following year, he was enlisted into forced labor, which meant becoming a helpless victim to the sadistic guards with their increasing brutality. In 1945, he ended up in a Hungarian death camp called Hidegség. In April 1945, he was liberated by the Red Army and was considered a statistical aberration. He survived despite all odds. He started a new life, enrolled in medical school, graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1951, and became a specialist in neurology and psychiatry. In 1969, he defected from Hungary to the U.S, where he continued psychopharmacology research while maintaining his academic position as clinical professor of psychiatry. In 1977, he moved from New York to Princeton, and in 2002, retired from full-time practice. He has had more than one hundred peer-reviewed scientific publications and monograph. This book was written about his family, his life, and his experiences before World War II was over. It was written more like a clinical record rather than a melodramatic memoir—it is somewhat less, somewhat more than pure literature.