1945-47
Preface
I do not know what compelled me to write — to keep notes — as I was not certain whether I would make it home or not. I began jotting things down from the moment I was taken prisoner: where I was, when, how I felt, and I tried to record my thoughts at the time, though in recent periods I rarely had the strength for it. This will become clear from the dates in the diary. I carried the notebook in my pocket for two and a half years, through no small amount of danger. Even during captivity, despite countless searches and pat-downs, I managed to keep it safe. But from being carried in my pocket the letters had faded so badly that in many places I could only make them out with a magnifying glass. I ask for a little indulgence regarding any spelling mistakes in this diary, as I only completed six years of primary school. I copied this diary in January 1958 from the original notebook.
Szigliget, 29 January 1958.
Sándor Varga