STATELESS |
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by Mark Collins |
Buy the Book | Read an Extract |
Stateless follows the life of Sandor Lovas,
a man fleeing Hungary after the failed 1956 uprising against Russia.
After risking his life escaping to Austria,
he is offered asylum in Ireland
along with five hundred other refugees.
However, despite the heartfelt welcome of the
Irish people, Sandor soon discovers
that Ireland is not in a position to support them economically.
Stateless charts the little known history of these Hungarian refugees who spent years stranded in a refugee camp in County Clare. It’s the story of how these former citizens of Hungary tried, but ultimately failed, to settle in 1950’s Ireland. And how, without jobs or the hope of a better life, the refugees started bickering with the Irish authorities which ultimately led to a hunger strike in protest against their conditions.
Inspired by the author’s grandparents who arrived in Ireland as
refugees in 1956, Stateless is a well-researched story
of how a group of people were offered
asylum by a country which didn’t have any asylum to offer.
In 2008, it represented Ireland in the 8th Annual European First Novel Festival
in Budapest, Hungary.
'Stateless' is published in Ireland by Pillar Press. (ISBN-10: 0955082129)