On 2 March, the Open Society Archives at CEU hosted Katalin Marton, author, journalist and scholar for a public lecture based on insights from her new book "Enemies of the People, My Family's Journey to America." At the event, which took place it the central hall of the Archives, John Shattuck, President and Rector, CEU, gave opening remarks; while Istvan Rev, Director, OSA at CEU, acted as the chair and moderator.
In a movingly personal account about her background which led to the writing of the book, Katalin Marton shared her initial fears about starting to write about a topic so personal, a fear also reinforced by her friends. “You are opening a Pandora's box!”—she was warned when she filed for her family's secret police files in Budapest. Katalin Marton’s career has included reporting for ABC News as a foreign correspondent and National Public Radio as well as print journalism and writing a number of books. She was born in Hungary, the daughter of UPI reporter Ilona Marton and award-winning AP reporter Endre Marton. Her parents survived the Holocaust of World War II but never spoke about it. Her parents served nearly two years in prison on false charges of espionage for the U.S. and Katalin and her older sister were placed in the care of strangers. Among the many honors for their reporting on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was the George Polk Award. The family ultimately fled Hungary following the revolution and settled in the United States.
