Much later, another friend (Laci, an ethnic Hungarian from Transylvania) explained to me that many Hungarians have a bad conscience about Jews. "Look, they didn't lift a finger to stop mass deportations in 1944. Hungarian police were eagerly helping the Nazis. Members of the Arrow-Cross movement executed scores of Jews � men, women and children � shot them and threw their bodies into the Danube. Of course they have a bad conscience."
Recently, a Hungarian received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Imre Kert�sz is famous for his razor-sharp description of Auschwitz, seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy. He knows what he is talking about; he was there, he was that boy. Up until Kert�sz' award, a few Hungarian scientists had received a Nobel prize, a matter of pride for many Hungarians.
But after Kert�sz, a Jew, got the prize, the nation remained curiously silent. Friends reported there was a feeling among Hungarians that "they are out to get us". A comment heard several times was: "We hadn't realised it was our turn for the Nobel Literature Prize. Had we known, we could have suggested a few Hungarian authors."
Laci told me of his conversation with a colleague at work. "This woman had been to Auschwitz as a tourist. Things weren't nearly as bad as she had thought: the toilets, for instance, they were indoors.
James Kliphuis Radio Netherlands 22 August 2003
