George Urban
Encyclopedia
George Robert Urban was a Hungarian
writer, best known as a broadcaster for Radio Free Europe
(RFE).
After studying at Budapest University, Urban left Hungary in 1948, coming to the United Kingdom
where he took up further studies at London University. He also began work for the BBC
Hungarian service. He was a radio broadcaster for a number of years for the BBC World Service
, leaving and joining RFE in 1960, and becoming its director for a period in the 1980s.
Urban is known also for his writing for Encounter
magazine. His journalism and book writing drew heavily on long dialogues, in effect extended interview
s, from his work at RFE, involving major intellectual
and political figures who were prepared to engage with the Cold War
. He also published a study of the Georgekreis, an early enthusiasm, and continuing shaper of his attitudes.
Urban was twice married.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
writer, best known as a broadcaster for Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
(RFE).
After studying at Budapest University, Urban left Hungary in 1948, coming to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he took up further studies at London University. He also began work for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Hungarian service. He was a radio broadcaster for a number of years for the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, leaving and joining RFE in 1960, and becoming its director for a period in the 1980s.
Urban is known also for his writing for Encounter
Encounter (magazine)
Encounter was a literary magazine, founded in 1953 by poet Stephen Spender and early neoconservative author Irving Kristol. The magazine ceased publication in 1991...
magazine. His journalism and book writing drew heavily on long dialogues, in effect extended interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s, from his work at RFE, involving major intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
and political figures who were prepared to engage with the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. He also published a study of the Georgekreis, an early enthusiasm, and continuing shaper of his attitudes.
Urban was twice married.
Works
- Kinesis and stasis; a study in the attitude of Stefan George and his circle to the musical arts (1962)
- The Sino-Soviet Conflict (1965) with Leo Labedz
- Toynbee on Toynbee: A Conversation between Arnold J. ToynbeeArnold J. ToynbeeArnold Joseph Toynbee CH was a British historian whose twelve-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, A Study of History, 1934–1961, was a synthesis of world history, a metahistory based on universal rhythms of rise, flowering and decline, which examined history from a global...
and G. R. Urban (1974) - Détente (1976)
- What is Eurocommunism? (1977) editor
- Eurocommunism: Its Roots and Future in Italy and Elsewhere (1978)
- Communist Reformation: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Change in the World Communist Movement (1979)
- Can the Soviet System Survive Reform?: Seven Colloquies About the State of Soviet Socialism Seventy Years After the Bolshevik Revolution (1989)
- End of Empire: The Demise of the Soviet Union (1992)
- Diplomacy and Disillusion at the Court of Margaret Thatcher: An Insider's View (1996)
- Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War (1997)