This novella is a work of fiction, but the inspiration for it comes from actual events and real places.

I visited Budapest in November 2012 and was deeply affected by the horrific layers of history that the city has endured. The Dohany Street Synagogue and the House of Terror were devastating, and once I saw the Holy Hand of St Istvan in the Basilica, I knew what the crux of my story would be. I wanted to give a taste of the grand city in the book but also evoke visions of a day that seemed all too possible given the political situation. Here are some of my sources if you want to investigate further.

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/