Péter Nádas initially studied chemistry and worked for a long time as photographer and photojournalist. Nádas is not only considered one of Hungary’s most significant authors, but also a major European writer. His books mostly involve the situation in Communist Hungary. His first novel, »The End of a Family Story« was initially censored and was finally published only in 1977. His principal work, »The Book of Memory«, was published in 1985. Nádas took seven years to complete its 1300 pages. It is considered a key to the unique city on the Danube whose two parts, Buda and Pest, are illuminated in Nádas’ prose. The plot consists of three interwoven narratives, one of which takes place in the GDR of the 1970s, one at the Baltic seaside resort of Heiligendamm at the turn of the century, and a last in Hungary at the time of the uprising of 1956.
In his essay, »Own Death« Péter Nádas describes the near-death experience he had on April 28, 1993, in Budapest when he had a heart attack whilst walking down the street.
