Nicholas Nagy-Talavera
Encyclopedia
Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera (February 1, 1929 Budapest
– January 23, 2000 Chico, California
) was a Hungarian-American
dissident, historian, writer and professor, born to prosperous merchants of Sephardic Jewish descent. In 1944, when he was 14 years old, Nagy-Talavera was arrested by Hungarian police and handed over to German authorities, who transported him to Auschwitz concentration camp
, where he encountered the notorious Joseph Mengele. He survived Auschwitz and returned to Budapest in 1945 to find that his parents had also survived the war by hiding with Christian friends.
In 1948 Nagy-Talavera enrolled at the University of Vienna
. Because of his dissident activities, he fell afoul of SMERSH
, the Red Army
's counter-intelligence branch. Arrested, convicted of espionage, and sentenced to 25 years of slave labor, he spent the next seven years in the USSR's gulag
system. He was released in late 1955, and returned to Budapest in time to participate in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. When the revolution was failed he fled to Vienna, and thence to the United States.
Nagy-Talavera completed his Bachelor of Arts
and Ph.D.
degrees at the University of California, Berkeley
. He taught Russian and Eastern European History at California State University, Chico
from 1967 until his retirement in 1991.
Nagy-Talavera was the author of many articles and books including Nicolae Iorga
: A Biography
and The Green Shirts and the Others: A History of Fascism in Hungary and Romania.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
– January 23, 2000 Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
) was a Hungarian-American
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.-History:...
dissident, historian, writer and professor, born to prosperous merchants of Sephardic Jewish descent. In 1944, when he was 14 years old, Nagy-Talavera was arrested by Hungarian police and handed over to German authorities, who transported him to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, where he encountered the notorious Joseph Mengele. He survived Auschwitz and returned to Budapest in 1945 to find that his parents had also survived the war by hiding with Christian friends.
In 1948 Nagy-Talavera enrolled at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. Because of his dissident activities, he fell afoul of SMERSH
SMERSH
SMERSH was the counter-intelligence agency in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially founded on April 14, 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin...
, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's counter-intelligence branch. Arrested, convicted of espionage, and sentenced to 25 years of slave labor, he spent the next seven years in the USSR's gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
system. He was released in late 1955, and returned to Budapest in time to participate in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. When the revolution was failed he fled to Vienna, and thence to the United States.
Nagy-Talavera completed his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degrees at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He taught Russian and Eastern European History at California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
from 1967 until his retirement in 1991.
Nagy-Talavera was the author of many articles and books including Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
: A Biography
and The Green Shirts and the Others: A History of Fascism in Hungary and Romania.