- Born
- Died
- Árpád Göncz was born on February 10, 1922 in Budapest, Hungary. He was a writer, known for Magyar medeia (1977), Könyveskép (2004) and Sarusok (1982). He was married to Maria Zsuzsanna Gonter. He died on October 6, 2015 in Budapest, Hungary.
- SpouseMaria Zsuzsanna Gonter(1946 - October 6, 2015) (his death, 4 children)
- He translated many works into Hungarian, including J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and the works of William Golding, John Updike, Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, and William Faulkner.
- He was a Hungarian writer and translator who became Hungary's first president after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
- After earning a law degree in 1944, he was conscripted as a soldier. He deserted his unit the same year, and joined an armed student-resistance movement fighting the Nazis. After the war, he worked as a laborer and welder.
- He was sentenced to life in prison after the failed 1956 Hungarian uprising against Soviet rule. He took part in a prison hunger strike in 1960, and was freed as part of a general amnesty three years later.
- He helped establish the Alliance of Free Democrats, a party that opposed the communist regime and helped broker a peaceful transition to democracy. After he served as acting president for three months, the Hungarian parliament elected him president in August 1990. He was re-elected in 1995.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
