THIS BOOK HAS ABSORBED my life for the past six years. I owe a debt of gratitude to so many people who provided support and encouragement, both those who are mentioned here and those whom I have inadvertently omitted. First of all, I want to thank my grandmother, Margit Hokky, who instilled the love of storytelling in me at an early age. I would also like to thank my husband, Bela, who has encouraged me to pursue this project for years and who has coped with the frustrations of living with a writer.
Dr. Sandor Szakaly was of invaluable assistance in researching the military history of Hungary. The collected academic publications of Csilla Fedinec were enormously valuable in providing a comprehensive history of Karpatalja. I relied on the research of many scholars and authors to authenticate the history of the era. These books are listed under Suggested Further Reading.
Eva Demjen, Tibor’s wife of many years, was a source of inspiration, never failing to tell me that this is a great story and needs to be told. Special thanks go to the many people who read chapters and gave their feedback: Mark Lovewell, Ilona Mikoczy, Bobbi Speck, Eva Tomory, Helen Walsh, and especially to writing coach and editor, Myrna Riback.
Without the brilliant advice and assistance of Anna Porter, this project would have never come to fruition. I will always be very grateful to her for that.
Finally, many thanks go to all the people at Dundurn Press who have been so supportive and helpful: Kirk Howard, president and publisher; Michael Carroll, editorial director; and Barry Jowett, my editor, who so skillfully brought the manuscript together.