Konrad, George, or György Konrád [key], 1933–2019, Hungarian novelist and dissident. Konrad's first novel, The Case Worker (1969; tr. 1974), was based on his experiences as a children's social worker (1965–73) in a working-class area. In this and other writings he treated the social and spiritual problems of Eastern European life under fascism and communism as well as after the collapse of communism. Among his other works of fiction are The City Builder (1975; tr. 1987); The Loser (1980; tr. 1982); A Feast in the Garden (1989; tr. 1992), a novel of the Holocaust; and Stonedial (1998; tr. 2000). He also wrote Antipolitics: An Essay (1984). Widely considered contemporary Hungary's preeminent literary figure, Konrad was an opponent of Hungary's Communist regime and later was outspokenly critical of the policies of Viktor Orbán. He was blacklisted from 1973 to 1988, and many of his works were first printed abroad. He served as president of International PEN (1990–93) and the Berlin Academy of Arts (1997–2003).
See his autobiography, A Guest in My Own Country (2007).
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