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Budapest Noir:
Ilona Gets a Phone
In 1990s Hungary, the nation must confront the wounds of its past before it can move forward. Ilona finally gets a phone—a seemingly ordinary event with profound meaning. Under the Communist regime, she was denied this privilege because of her husband’s involvement in the 1956 Uprising and her son’s escape in 1974. Now, as her son Emil returns to Budapest, Ilona hopes he will help reclaim what was taken by the Communists. However, Emil’s passion for art clashes with her aspirations, leading to potential disaster.
Through flashbacks to the Russian army arriving in 1945 and the uprising in 1956, the novel recounts the dark events from which a nation must first heal. It is hard not to be moved to tears by what Ilona and her family had to endure. Her story is one that she shared with countless others and serves as a reminder to what happens when democracy collapses. Ilona is a poignant tale that explores the longing for success and the disconnect that can happen when the past is not reconciled.
In the scramble for wealth and power amid the rubble of communism in Hungary, Ilona Gets A Phone is a moving and powerful book that explores the longing for success and the disconnect between people who love one another.
Reviews
“For those of us who first encountered Hungary in the early 1990s, Langley’s novel is evocative. It captures the rough & ready atmosphere of a modern country being improvised into being.” Alexander Faludy in The Hungarian Observer
“For me the most interesting part of this book was less the family issues that occur and far more the various issues that arise both as Hungary gains its freedom from communism, and very much struggles with that freedom – converting from communism to capitalism and all that that implies, bribery and corruption, Western influence, not always positive, and a range of economic issues – as well as the reckoning with the past, tricky for any country.” John Alvey in The Modern Novel
“Alison Langley has written a wonderful story that brings life to what would otherwise be a collection of dry facts and has done it in a gentle, thoughtful and honest manner. It is a very moving story told well. There is humour, there is horror, there is love and there is hope.” Janet – Loves Books, Reads Books
Anthologies
Welcome to Di(still), a collection of writing from talented new authors around the globe; from Cork to Cevennes, Bournemouth to Belgium via Switzerland. This anthology distills experiences, emotions, and hopes into two forms of writing: short stories and poems. There is an element of stillness needed to both create and sit with these inspiring narratives. The themes range from war, love, and death to the surprising benefits of eating grass. Get yours here.
https://www.insurgentpress.com/shop/In October 2023, four members of The Insurgent Press prowled through the Swiss Alps, armed with experimental writing exercises of their own invention. This book is both the product of that fateful week in Sogn Andriu and an inspiration for your own writing practise. Grab a pen and get yodelling. Screaming optional. Mountains not included. Available soon from Insurgent Press.
Short stories
ALISON LANGLEY 