The University of Pittsburgh Press has just released Remembering Cold Days: The 1942 Massacre of Novi Sad and Hungarian Politics and Society, 1942-1989, by Árpád von Klimó, Professor of History.
In this book, Dr. von Klimó tells the story of one of the many massacres committed during World War II and the Holocaust. Unlike all other massacres during that conflict, a few of the commanding officers responsible for these atrocities were put on trial already during the war by the leadership of Hungary’s authoritarian Horthy regime. Thorough investigation of this mass murder, a few weeks after it happened, had unexpected consequences. The notorious crime became a propaganda tool of war-time Yugoslavia, Britain, and, most of all, Josip Broz Tito’s communist regime as well as Hungary’s new Stalinist dictatorship during the 1950s. In the 1960s, a widely acclaimed novel and film (“Cold Days”) radically transformed the massacre into an event that had a strong impact on how World War II and the Shoa were remembered in Hungary and Yugoslavia. It was not until 2011 that the last war crime trial related to the 1942 mass murder took place in post-communist Hungary, with political repercussions in many parts of the world.
Dr. von Klimó says “This book is based on the assumption that the Holocaust has to be studied locally, and has to reconstruct the stories of perpetrators, victims, and witnesses within a wider context. A couple of years ago, I became interested in doing a study that thoroughly analyzed the violent act as such, as well as its short- and long-term consequences for the individuals, the city and the wider society.” His earlier studies in Hungarian history, including books and articles on the political and religious context of commemorations and national narratives, as well as his investigations into the Communist system, have provided him with the necessary background for this particular book.
Dr von Klimó is currently working on a study of global anti-communism in various countries and continents, focusing on the Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty, one of the most important figures of the early Cold War.
Dr. Katherine L. Jansen, Chair of the Derpartment of History, comments: “Dr. von Klimó’s publication record this year has been enviable. The publication of one new monograph is already an event in itself. But this one comes soon after the release of his Hungary Since 1945 (Routledge, 2018), and so the publication of two books – one on an entirely new subject matter for him – is extraordinary! With the publication of these books, he has established himself as one of the leading authorities in the field of the history of central European history.”
The Department of History will celebrate the publication of Remembering Cold Days on March 6, 2019 (further details TBA: check the “Events” section of our website closer to that date for details.)