Deadly Carousel

A Singer's Story of the Second World War

Author: Monica Porter

Vali Racz was a successful singer and film actress. Since she was safely Aryan, the Nazis represented no particular threat to her, but she was horrified by the persecution of the Jews. Risking her own life, she turned her villa into a secret refuge. This work traces both the life of Vali Racz and a fascinating period in Hungarian history.

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In March 1944, eleven divisions of German troops marched into Hungary. Thousands of Jews were rounded up and deported to death camps. Desperately, they sought foreign diplomatic relations, false identity papers and hiding places. Vali Racz was a successful singer and film actress, the darling of the Hungarian public. Since she was young, beautiful and safely Aryan, the Nazis represented no particular threat to her, but she was horrified by the persecution of the Jews, many of whom were friends and mentors. Risking her own life, she turned her villa in Buda into a secret refuge. Monica Porter traces both the life of her remarkable and courageous mother and a fascinating period in Hungarian history. In September 1991, the Jewish people's highest expression of gratitude was conferred upon Vali Racz in Jerusalem: the title of 'Righteous among the Nations'.

About the Author

Monica Porter was born in Budapest and grew up in New York, but has been based in London since 1970. A freelance journalist, she is the author of three books and numerous radio broadcasts, and is a regular contributor of feature articles to the national press in Britain. She has two grown sons and lives with her partner, businessman Nick Winton, whose father is the celebrated organiser of the 1939 Czech Kindertransport, Sir Nicholas Winton.