2006-05-25
The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Author: Julian Rubinstein
This is the biography of Attila Ambrus, the "Whiskey Robber", who staged 29 robberies in post-Communist Budapest and almost got away with it. Along the way he became a folk hero to the people, an icon of the common man striking back at the corrupt government.
I don't have time to do this book justice. Rubinstein's research has produced a story that could almost be fiction. This is another book I would never have been interested in on my own, but I'm very happy it was put in my hands. Not only is Attila's life story amusing, but the telling of that story illuminates life in modern-day Hungary and Romania in a believable fashion. If you ever wanted to reconcile the stories of how eastern Europe is both a thriving, modern economy and home to millions of people that make $2,000/yr., read this book. Attila lives with a foot in each world.
This is the biography of Attila Ambrus, the "Whiskey Robber", who staged 29 robberies in post-Communist Budapest and almost got away with it. Along the way he became a folk hero to the people, an icon of the common man striking back at the corrupt government.
I don't have time to do this book justice. Rubinstein's research has produced a story that could almost be fiction. This is another book I would never have been interested in on my own, but I'm very happy it was put in my hands. Not only is Attila's life story amusing, but the telling of that story illuminates life in modern-day Hungary and Romania in a believable fashion. If you ever wanted to reconcile the stories of how eastern Europe is both a thriving, modern economy and home to millions of people that make $2,000/yr., read this book. Attila lives with a foot in each world.
