Kati Marton
Encyclopedia
Kati Marton is a Hungarian-American author and journalist
. Her career has included reporting for ABC News
as a foreign correspondent and National Public Radio, where she started as a production assistant 1971 in her 20s, as well as print journalism and writing a number of books.
She is the former chairwoman of the International Women's Health Coalition, and a director (former chairwoman) of the Committee to Protect Journalists
and other bodies including the International Rescue Committee
, Human Rights Watch
and the New America Foundation
.
, the daughter of UPI
reporter Ilona Marton and award-winning Associated Press
reporter Endre Marton. Her parents survived the Holocaust of World War II
but never spoke about it. They served nearly two years in prison on false charges of espionage for the U.S., and Kati and her older sister were placed in the care of strangers. Raised a Roman Catholic, she learned much later and by accident that her grandparents were Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp
. Among the many honors her parents received for their reporting on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was the George Polk Award
. The family fled Hungary following the revolution and settled in Chevy Chase, Maryland
, where Marton attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.
, and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques
in Paris. Growing up in Hungary, she had a French
nanny
, so she was raised speaking both Hungarian and French, learning American English when her family moved to America. She has a master's degree in international relations from George Washington University
.
was her second husband. Her first husband was Carroll Wetzel, now a retired international investment banker from Philadelphia. Jennings and Marton had two children together. On August 13, 1993, Jennings and Marton publicly announced their separation in Newsday
. She was married to diplomat Richard Holbrooke
from 1995 until his death in December 2010.
Marton has joined the faculty of Bard College
.
, the 2002 Matrix Award for Women Who Change the World, the George Foster Peabody Award (presented to WCAU-TV, Philadelphia in 1973) and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary—the country's highest civilian honor. Marton is also a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence. Her book, Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America, was an autobiography finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
in 2009.
|trans_title=Enemies of the people |language=Hungarian
|title=A nép ellenségei : családom regénye
|location=Budapest |publisher=Corvina |year=2010
|isbn=9789631358827}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Enemies of the people : my family's journey to America
|edition=1st Simon & Schuster hardcover
|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2009
|isbn=9781416586128 |oclc=1-416-58612-1}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The great escape : nine Jews who fled Hitler and changed the world
|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year= |isbn=9780743261159 |oclc=70864519}}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|trans_title=Great escape |language=Hungarian
|title=Kilenc magyar aki világgá ment és megváltoztatta a világot
|others=(translator) Bart Dániel
|location=Budapest |publisher=Corvina |year=2008
|isbn=9789631356816}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Hidden power : presidential marriages that shaped our recent history |edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=Pantheon Books
|year=2001 |isbn=0375401067 |oclc=50625328}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The Polk conspiracy : murder and cover-up in the case of CBS News correspondent George Polk
|edition=1st pbk.
|location=New York |publisher=Times Books
|year=1992 |isbn=0812920473}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=A death in Jerusalem
|edition=1st Arcade
|location=New York |publisher=Arcade
|year=1996
|isbn=1559703520}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=An American woman
|edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton |year=1987
|isbn=0393024202}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Wallenberg : missing hero
|edition=1st Arcade
|location=New York |publisher= Distributed by Little, Brown and Company
|year=1995
|isbn=1559702761}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The Polk conspiracy : murder and cover-up in the case of CBS News correspondent George Polk
|edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus & Giroux |year=1990
|isbn=0374135533}}
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. Her career has included reporting for ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
as a foreign correspondent and National Public Radio, where she started as a production assistant 1971 in her 20s, as well as print journalism and writing a number of books.
She is the former chairwoman of the International Women's Health Coalition, and a director (former chairwoman) of the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
and other bodies including the International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
and the New America Foundation
New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a non-profit public policy institute and think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA. It was founded in 1999 by Ted Halstead, Sherle Schwenninger, Michael Lind and Walter Russell Mead....
.
Early life
Marton was born in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the daughter of UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
reporter Ilona Marton and award-winning Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reporter Endre Marton. Her parents survived the Holocaust of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but never spoke about it. They served nearly two years in prison on false charges of espionage for the U.S., and Kati and her older sister were placed in the care of strangers. Raised a Roman Catholic, she learned much later and by accident that her grandparents were Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
. Among the many honors her parents received for their reporting on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was the George Polk Award
George Polk Awards
The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
. The family fled Hungary following the revolution and settled in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
, where Marton attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.
Education
She studied at the SorbonneSorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques
Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
in Paris. Growing up in Hungary, she had a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
, so she was raised speaking both Hungarian and French, learning American English when her family moved to America. She has a master's degree in international relations from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
Personal life
TV anchor Peter JenningsPeter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
was her second husband. Her first husband was Carroll Wetzel, now a retired international investment banker from Philadelphia. Jennings and Marton had two children together. On August 13, 1993, Jennings and Marton publicly announced their separation in Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
. She was married to diplomat Richard Holbrooke
Richard Holbrooke
Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke was an American diplomat, magazine editor, author, professor, Peace Corps official, and investment banker....
from 1995 until his death in December 2010.
Author and faculty member
Her latest book, Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America, released in 2009, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2010 and is soon to be the subject of a major motion picture. This latest book covers Marton's discoveries about her journalist parents, mostly but not all positive in nature, after filing for access to the files kept by secret police in Budapest.Marton has joined the faculty of Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
.
Awards
She has received several honors for her reporting, including the 2001 Rebekah Kohut Humanitarian Award by the National Council of Jewish WomenNational Council of Jewish Women
The National Council of Jewish Women defines itself as a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action...
, the 2002 Matrix Award for Women Who Change the World, the George Foster Peabody Award (presented to WCAU-TV, Philadelphia in 1973) and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary—the country's highest civilian honor. Marton is also a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence. Her book, Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America, was an autobiography finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
in 2009.
Selected writing
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton|trans_title=Enemies of the people |language=Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
|title=A nép ellenségei : családom regénye
|location=Budapest |publisher=Corvina |year=2010
|isbn=9789631358827}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Enemies of the people : my family's journey to America
|edition=1st Simon & Schuster hardcover
|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2009
|isbn=9781416586128 |oclc=1-416-58612-1}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The great escape : nine Jews who fled Hitler and changed the world
|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year= |isbn=9780743261159 |oclc=70864519}}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|trans_title=Great escape |language=Hungarian
|title=Kilenc magyar aki világgá ment és megváltoztatta a világot
|others=(translator) Bart Dániel
|location=Budapest |publisher=Corvina |year=2008
|isbn=9789631356816}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Hidden power : presidential marriages that shaped our recent history |edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
|year=2001 |isbn=0375401067 |oclc=50625328}}
|last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The Polk conspiracy : murder and cover-up in the case of CBS News correspondent George Polk
|edition=1st pbk.
|location=New York |publisher=Times Books
Times Books
Times Books is a publishing imprint owned by The New York Times Company and licensed to Henry Holt and Company....
|year=1992 |isbn=0812920473}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=A death in Jerusalem
|edition=1st Arcade
|location=New York |publisher=Arcade
Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing is an independent trade publishing company that started in 1988 in New York, USA. They are publishers of American and world fiction and non-fiction...
|year=1996
|isbn=1559703520}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=An American woman
|edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton |year=1987
|isbn=0393024202}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=Wallenberg : missing hero
|edition=1st Arcade
|location=New York |publisher= Distributed by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
|year=1995
|isbn=1559702761}} |last=Marton |first=Kati |authorlink=Kati Marton
|title=The Polk conspiracy : murder and cover-up in the case of CBS News correspondent George Polk
|edition=1st
|location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus & Giroux |year=1990
|isbn=0374135533}}