The Summer My Father Died

Book excerpt: dit Kiss grew up a communist in Budapest, soaking up her father's ideology unquestioningly. As a child she is puzzled when others refer to her as Jewish; she only knows that her family doesn't believe in God. How can they? As her father lies dying, dit tries to understand the enigma surrounding his life. Where does his unshakeable communist conviction come from? Why doesn't he have relatives? As she digs deeper into his tragic history, dit is forced to confront the contradictions and lies woven into the life of her family - and her country - through the dramatic twists of twentieth century Hungary. 'Lyrical and poetic The Summer My Father Died is a powerful memoir. In this remarkable memoir, dit Kiss uncovers the paternal history that shaped her own, even while she was unaware of it ... the journey is riveting.' Lisa Appignanesi 'It shook me profoundly ... not only the richness of the relationship between father and daughter, but the internal development of the narrator also had a deep impact on me.' István Szabó, director of Mephisto and Being Julia.