- George Urban
George Robert Urban (12 April 1921
Miskolc ,Hungary – 3 October 1997) was a Hungarian writer, best known as a broadcaster forRadio Free Europe (RFE).After studying at Budapest University, Urban left Hungary in 1948, coming to the
United Kingdom where he took up further studies at London University. He also began work for theBBC Hungarian service. He was a radio broadcaster for a number of years for theBBC World Service , leaving and joining RFE in 1960, and becoming its director for a period in the 1980s.Urban is known also for his writing for "Encounter" magazine. His journalism and book writing drew heavily on long dialogues, in effect extended
interview s, from his work at RFE, involving majorintellectual and political figures who were prepared to engage with theCold War . He also published a study of theGeorgekreis , an early enthusiasm, and continuing shaper of his attitudes.Urban was twice married.
Works
*Kinesis and stasis; a study in the attitude of Stefan George and his circle to the musical arts (1962)
*The Sino-Soviet Conflict (1965) withLeo Labedz
*Toynbee on Toynbee: A Conversation betweenArnold J. Toynbee and G. R. Urban (1974)
*Detente (1976)
*What is Eurocommunism? (1977) editor
*Eurocommunism: Its Roots and Future in Italy and Elsewhere (1978)
*Communist Reformation: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Change in the World Communist Movement (1979)
*Can the Soviet System Survive Reform?: Seven Colloquies About the State of Soviet Socialism Seventy Years After the Bolshevik Revolution (1989)
*End of Empire: The Demise of the Soviet Union (1992)
*Diplomacy and Disillusion at the Court of Margaret Thatcher: An Insider's View (1996)
*Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy: My War Within the Cold War (1997)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.