The detail about the International Bodyguard and Secret Service Association comes from a story in Agencie France-Presse, September 9, 1995. Much of the information from the Kriminális scene comes from the program that aired on Hungarian Television (MTV) on April 4, 1996.
The Blikk story headlined BANK ROBBERY WITH A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS ran on March 26, 1996. The Kurír story headlined YEAR OF THE ROBBERS appeared on March 27, 1996.
The Reform article with the police sketches and comment about “Budapest’s own private robber” appeared on April 9, 1996.
The comment about Attila having taken on “a servant” comes from a story in Népszava, September 5, 1996.
The information from Kriminális aired on August 29, 1996, Hungarian Television (MTV). The comment about the Whiskey Robber making life for the police “an absolute misery” comes from a story in Blikk on August 30, 1996. The Népszava story that suggests the Whiskey Robber is giving his money to the poor was published on September 5, 1996.
The black market estimates come from a BBC story from June 26, 1996. The detail about the Hungarian Olympic team comes from an Associated Press story on September 23, 1996. The details about Juszt’s Mitsubishi being a stolen car comes from Kurír, November 15, 1996. The information about the 230 cop convictions comes from a story in the BBC, July 22, 1997 (which cited Hungarian Radio as its source). The details about the Kennedy Center gala are from a story in the Washington Post by Roxanne Roberts on November 13, 1996.
The police report by Lajos Seres (Dance Instructor) is dated November 21, 1996.
The Kriminális program aired on Hungarian Television (MTV) on January 21, 1997.
I was not able to interview Klányi, Kis, Stuttering Józsi, or Klányi’s ex-wife, but all the quotations from them are taken from the police reports as well as my interviews with police.
The detail about the number of casinos in Budapest compared with other cities comes from a story in MTI Econews dated June 6, 1997.
The information about the police department budget comes from MTI Econews on February 19, 1998.
The information about Al Gore, Sandór Pintér, and the crime conference comes from MTI Econews, February 24, 1999; the BBC, February 25, 1999; and a Washington Post story by Nora Boustany from February 26, 1999. The story headlined police chief resigns appeared in Mai Nap, June 5, 1998.
The detail of Clinton and Orbán’s discussions at the White House on October 7 (the same day as Attila’s party, which had to be held the day after his birthday) is from MTI Econews, October 9, 1999.
Bóta’s quote comes from a story in Magyar Hírlap published on January 18, 1999. The quote from Kercs Árpád and from Lajos Varjú both appeared in Mai Nap on January 17, 1999.
The story in Magyar Hírlap appeared on January 18, 1999. The Népszabadság story referring to Atilla as “the master” appeared on February 20, 1999. The exact quote from Zsuzsa Csala here comes from my interview with her, though it is similar to sentiments she expressed in the Hungarian media.
The information about the man accused of stealing toilet paper comes from a story in the New York Times credited to Agence France-Presse on November 19, 2000.
Gabi’s interview with Népszabadság appeared on February 2, 1999.
Some of the scene between Attila and Lajos was augmented by the account in the book Én, a Whiskys, by Attila Ambrus and Judit P. Gál. The part about Lajos’s asking Attila if he had figured out how to escape comes from my interviews with both men.
The quotations from Prime Minister Orbán’s speech at the graduation ceremony comes from MTI Econews, July 3, 1999.
A TV opinion poll of 20,000 callers cited by Magyar Hírlap on July 29, 1999, showed 79 percent of people supporting Attila. An Internet poll on July 14, 1999, of 1,008 respondents showed 91 percent support for Attila. The “would you have climbed down from the window on a shoelace?” poll in Mai Nap appeared on July 13, 1999. The “Hungarian Butch Cassidy” reference appeared in HVG, July 17, 1999.
Pintér’s comments appeared in Magyar Nemzet, July 22, 1999.
A series of stories about Attila, headlined big city cowboy, ran in Hargita Népe in March 1999.
The story in Magyar Szó appeared on July 22, 1999.
The story headlined THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE HUNGARIAN CRIME SQUADS COULD NOT BE LOWER is from Népszabadság, August 4, 1999. The Christian Science Monitor story appeared on August 10, 1999. The London Independent story appeared on July 31, 1999. The story in Le Figaro appeared on July 20, 1999. The story in Sports Illustrated appeared on August 16, 1999.
The story in the police magazine, Zsaru, appeared on August 3, 1999.
The “Monica Lewinsky story of Hungary” comment was made on the program Deep Water, aired on Hungarian Television (MTV) on August 13, 1999. The television reports about Attila’s past were cited in a Christian Science Monitor story by Michael J. Jordan, August 10, 1999.
An account of Prime Minister Orbán’s radio appearance was published by the BBC on October 29, 1999.
The story headlined one less small fish ran in Népszava on November 8, 1999.
The investigation of Magyar was made public in Népszabadság, October 22, 1999.
The comment by Hungarian member of Parliament Lukács Szabó is from the BBC summary of the Hungarian TV2 satellite service broadcast on November 28, 2000.
The interview in which Attila said he was a “criminal in every bone in my body” appeared in the Hungarian edition of FHM magazine, October 2001. Attila’s comment that “human life is worth less than money” appeared in Magyar Nemzet, December 15, 2000.
Bibliography
Ambrus, Attila, and Judit P. Gál. Én, a Whiskys. Budapest: IPM Konyv, 1999.
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Gyuricza, Péter, and Ernõ Kardos. A Whisky Szokesben. Budapest: Arabesk, 2000.
Kádár, András, ed. Police in Transition: Essays on the Police Forces in Transition Countries. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2001.
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———. Resurrection. New York: Random House, 1997.
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* 1988–89, Zamboni driver; ’89–90, janitor, no Zamboni privileges; ’91–92, active; second half of ’92–93 season, removed from active roster to accommodate Sergei Milnikov
** 1988, converted from church painter to Zamboni driver; ’89, janitor/grave-digger; ’90, converted from custodian to goalie, also activated as a pen salesman, chandelier artist, security guard; ’90–93, pelt smuggler (unsanctioned); ’93–present, also working as post office, travel agency, and bank robber (unsanctioned)
† Richest player in the league
‡ ‡1.67 million forints ($18,000) of this sum was immediately paid to UTE forward Károly “Karcsi” Antal;1.65 million forints ($18,000) was paid to László “Laczika” Veres (unaffiliated)
* BM stands for Belugium Ministerium, or Interior Ministry, which oversees the police.
** Some of this sum was in foreign currency.
Contents
Welcome
Dedication
Cast of Characters
Map
Epigraph
Prologue
first Period
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
second Period
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
third Period
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Overtime
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Epilogue
Postscripts
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide
The Whiskey Robber cocktail—inspired by the exploits of Attila Ambrus
A Conversation with Julian Rubinstein
Questions and Topics for Discussion
Applause for Julian Rubinstein’s Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Appendix
Photos
Newsletters
Notes on Sources
Bibliography
Copyright
Copyright
COPYRIGHT © 2004 BY JULIAN RUBINSTEIN
Reading group guide copyright © 2005 by Julian Rubinstein and Little, Brown and Company (Inc.)
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Maps by Jeffrey Ward
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