Raoul Wallenberg: The Heroic Life and Mysterious Disappearance of the Man Who Saved Thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust

by Ingrid Carlberg

An Honorary Citizen of the United States and Canada, and designated as one of the Righteous among the Nations by Israel, Raoul Wallenberg was a modest envoy to Hungary whose heroism in Budapest at the height of the Holocaust saved countless Jewish lives, and ultimately cost him his own.

A series of unlikely coincidences led to the appointment of Wallenberg, by trade a poultry importer, as Sweden's Special Envoy to Budapest in 1944. With remarkable bravery, Wallenberg created a system of protective passports, and sheltered thousands of desperate Jews in a special "international ghetto" created in collaboration with other neutral countries. As the war drew to a close, his invaluable work almost complete, Wallenberg voluntarily went to meet with the Soviet troops who were relieving the city. Arrested as a spy, Wallenberg disappeared into the depths of the Soviet system, never to be seen again.

In this definitive biography, noted journalist Ingrid Carlberg has carried out unprecedented research into all elements of Wallenberg's life, narrating with vigor and insight the story of a heroic life, and navigating with wisdom and sensitivity the truth about his disappearance and death.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Holocaust, World War II, 20th Century, Jewish

640 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2012

About the author

Ingrid Margareta Carlberg, (1961) is a Swedish author and journalist. She is also an Honorary Doctor of Medicine at Uppsala University.

Reviews

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just Wow!! I hardly know how to describe how rich and powerful this book is. Yes, it is a 640 page biography of a Holocaust hero and is written in such a way that it is also a mystery and thriller too. Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish businessman from a rich banking and business family who had to make it on his own. His dad died months before he was born and his grandfather guided his very unusual training in life and these lessons actually helped him when he agreed to help an American/Swedish effort to help save the Jews in Hungary. Most died but due to his efforts and those of his co-workers, 100,000- were saved!!!!

Raoul was made a Swedish diplomat and money was sent from Sweden and the USA to aid his work. I was riveted by the scary events they faced and how at one point, Raoul's life was in danger. The book thoroughly follows his life and then the events in Hungary. He thought the Soviets would help but instead he was imprisoned and accused of being a Nazi spy. The over 40 year search for what happened to him is detailed.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in the Holocaust, true heroes. those interested in WWII and most of all to those with hearts of gold who really care. This is a stunning book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This biography was incredibly detailed, but managed to stay engaging and not get bogged down.

This is a biography of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who risked his life to help keep Hungarian Jews from being deported by Nazis during WWII. He was then disappeared and probably killed by the USSR security service when they freed Budapest. At 600 pages in length, this was a dense and detailed read - not obviously the best fit given my recent reading slump! As a result of my current slump, it did take me two weeks to read, but I really enjoyed it. The details bring a lot of life and really rich texture to the scenes the author describes. The author also clearly had access to a lot of incredible personal sources. In addition to both formal diplomatic and personal correspondence, she also included excerpts from diaries and conducted additional interviews with archivists and members of the Wallenberg family.

The first of three sections covered Raoul's childhood. This part wouldn't obviously appeal to me, but it was enjoyable. All of the personal sources meant this section laid a great foundation for knowing who Raoul and his family were. The second section was by far the best, covering Raoul's time in Hungary. The contrast between the theoretically boring diplomatic paperwork Raoul was doing and the way he used that work to save lives was fascinating. It was yet another glimpse of a part of WWII that I knew nothing about. There were also some daring moments when Raoul and others he worked with showed up in person to demand people be freed from transports to concentration camps. As the USSR moved in, outright violence against the Swedes became common as well. There were certainly plenty of tense moments to read about!

The last section was my least favorite. The way Swedish diplomats bungled rescuing Raoul from the Soviet Union was depressing and a bit dry. A final piece of this section explaining the the CIA became interested in "helping" with the case in order to make Russia look bad during the Cold War picked up the pace again. I do think I have a little less patience for depressing reading right now. I think my next reads will be some funny nonfiction and maybe some romance! However, I do think this section was truly the weakest of the book. The way the author brought Raoul to life in the first two sections made them more appealing to me.

Overall, I'm incredibly impressed by how much detail the author managed to pack into this story without bogging it down. I think it says a lot that I enjoyed reading it right now and I'd definitely recommend it.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey

[Hannah Rossland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Researchmässigt en klar femma, som litterärt verk tre

[Tomoko Helmertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Först främst är jag stolt över att ha läst genom boken!

Biografinen blev mycket mer spännande då Raoul åkte till Budapest. Helt otrolig historia om hans insats att rädda judarna där, hur han blev fångad av ryssarna (naivt trodde han att han skulle få hjälp av dem!!), och hur hans släktingar med två generationer kämpade genom livet för att få veta "sanningen" om vad som skedde Raoul utan resultat... Han och hans släktingar blev offer av tidernas politiska spel, mellan Sverige och Soviet samt mellan Soviet och USA.
Jag tackar Ingrid Catlberg för sin insats. (Bra sommarprat gjorde hon också!)

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otrolig detaljrikedom som gör boken väldigt imponerande men det tynger läsupplevelse ibland. Allmänbildande, intressant och absolut läsvärd

[Lippes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my youth, in the mid 80ies, I read the book "Damals in Budapest" about how Raoul Wallenberg saved many Jews in Budapest but got lost behind the iron curtain right after the war. His story was always present for me and I wondered if the question of his whereabouts would ever be solved.
Now, decades later this book is like a gift -granting me insights to the person Raoul Wallenberg himself. It's a great portray showing how he became to be such a hero of his time, shedding a clear light on what he did in Budapest in 1944, how he acted and it finally follows the traces and crumbles how he got lost in prisons of the Soviet Union.
Obviously and unfortunately not all questions could be solved and it's a pain that there is still no clarity - but the book gave a very good and clear description of the truth we know displaying sources and material in a scientic and at the same time human and approachable manor.
Thanks so much for closing the circle here for me and for putting a spotlight on a man who still is relevant in our time as a role model for how own deeds and single actions can make a difference! To me a must read ...

[Ella Ek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det är tydligt att det är en gedigen sammanställning av Raols liv och författarens (och alla andras) frustration över bristen på svar smittar av sig. Dock var den lite för detaljerad för att jag skulle få ett bra flyt i läsandet och även om detaljerna är vad som målar upp en så tydlig bild av Raols liv gör det att historien har ett ganska långsamt tempo…

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most recent of the many biographies of Raoul Wallenberg. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat during the Second World War who is credited with saving thousands of lives. He was posted to Budapest with an assignment of issuing protective passports to Hungarian Jews. Hungary was a last bastion of Judaism among Nazi controlled / allied countries, but in the summer of 1944 they began mass deportation to the death camps in Poland. Protective passports from the neutral country of Sweden staved off deportation for many.

As dangerous as Wallenberg’s life was during his assignment to Budapest when he was constantly at odds with the Arrow Cross Militia (the Hungarian fascist party) and the Nazis who put them in power, the most intriguing part of Wallenberg’s life story may be his disappearance. In January of 1945, as he was seeking contact with the commander of the Red Army in Hungary to facilitate a post-War reconstruction of Budapest, he was arrested by the Soviets and surreptitiously moved to Lubyanka Prison in Moscow. The Soviets denied having Wallenberg, but facing overwhelming evidence from released prisoners who came into contact with Wallenberg in Lubyanka and Lefortovo prisons eventually made the Soviets recant. In the 1950’s they admitted they’d had him while making the suspect claim that he’d died of natural causes in 1947. There remains a great deal of mystery surrounding the case. Why they arrested Wallenberg in the first place? Why didn’t they release or exchange him like other foreign diplomats they had in custody. If they executed him – why’d they do it and why’d they do it when they did it. [There were claims by prisoners stating that they’d met Wallenberg in Gulag camps in the 1960’s and even into the 70’s (though the latter claims are more suspect.)]

In a bold move, this book is written in the old school style, which is to say chronologically. This may not seem odd for those who’ve been reading biographies and autobiographies for a long time. It’s how historians always used to write their books, and it certainly seems like a logical arrangement for the telling of historical events. However, the mode today is to start in media res, or in the middle of the exciting bits, and to sprinkle in only what is absolutely necessary of backstory as one goes along. Because of a combination of intense competition for one’s reading time and what seems like the diminished attention span of today’s average reader, it’s really quite brave for Carlberg to start with 150+ pages discussing: Wallenberg’s parents and grandparents, his days in America as an architecture student studying a form of building design that would be considered virtually useless when he returned to Sweden, and his attempts to get started in business in the years between his return to Sweden and his entry into the diplomatic corps. That said, this first of the three parts that make up the book is well done and more interesting than one might expect. It doesn’t suffer from the painful dryness that is so common when one discusses ancestors and the subject’s childhood. It’s not just that Carlberg keeps an eye on what data might be useful for the reader later in the book. In fact, I’d say that what makes the first part interesting isn’t that it shows us how Wallenberg’s youth forged him into an inevitable hero. Rather, it’s that we come away with a picture of a somewhat shiftless kid from the least wealthy limb of a family tree of a rich family. It’s not that he was born to be a hero that makes his background fascinating; it’s that he was in many ways an ordinary fellow whose decisions at critical moments made him a hero.

As mentioned, the book’s 23 chapters are divided into three parts. The first part, as described, is Wallenberg’s background. The second part explores his actions while posted to Budapest. This is when he had to deal with the likes of Adolf Eichmann and – at the very end – rogue elements of the Arrow Cross Militia who were engaged in killing sprees. The third part covers the period of Wallenberg’s arrest and disappearance at the hands of the Soviet Union. Many of the popular biographies of Wallenberg were written in the 1980’s, during a period of reawakened interest in his fate but when the Soviets were just beginning to loosen up, and so this version does contain a little bit of new information that came out during the Glasnost years and subsequently.

The book has a substantial group of black and white pictures of relevant people and documents. There are also modern day descriptions of the author’s visits to various key places in Wallenberg’s story including various offices and residences, as well as Lefortovo prison. These are short (a few pages at most) and are interspersed with the chapters around which that locale was relevant. Some of them involved talking with people who had insight into Wallenberg’s life and other places are occupied by individuals with little to no knowledge of Wallenberg. There is a detailed accounting of sources, including both a bibliography and lists of interviewed individuals and unpublished sources.

I found this book fascinating. I will admit that I didn’t get hooked right away. While there was enough in part one to keep me interested, the book doesn’t become truly gripping until the second and third parts. In part three, it becomes genuinely hard to put down.

That said, if one is hoping for a work that resolves all questions, that work doesn’t yet exist, and it’s less and less likely that it ever will given the way the Soviets purged Wallenberg from documentation (very few references were found during the Glasnost era investigation) and apparently cremated his body. Few people remain alive who were involved and their memories are adversely effected by time. Still, Carlberg offers excellent insight into what went wrong on the Swedish side that may have contributed to Wallenberg’s demise. The Swedish diplomat jumped to conclusions that probably hurt Wallenberg’s survival odds. There are a few brief scenes in the book that are visceral, and one of these involves the degree to which that one diplomat was haunted by his missteps in the case. (Another involves a cudgel-wielding former KGB-interrogator who threatened Wallenberg’s step-brother when the relative tried to visit to find out more. If the sparse documentation is to be believed, the retired KGB man may have been the last person to speak with Wallenberg. But the man clearly wanted to put that behind him.)

There were just a couple of questions that I wish had been addressed by the book that weren’t. Carlberg is keen to point out that it appeared that the Soviets were hinting that a teen aged Baltic refugee, Lydia Makarova, could be a possible exchange for Wallenberg. (The Swedish diplomats were too dense to get this at first because one had concluded Wallenberg died in Hungary and another – higher up -- didn’t believe in quid pro quo life trades.) I can see how this Lydia Makarova wasn’t really relevant to Wallenberg’s story. She was just an extremely high value subject, but I couldn’t help but wonder why they would want a teen aged girl so badly that they’d have been willing to take the public relations nightmare of admitting they abducted a diplomat regarded as an international hero. With the book weighing in at over 600 pages, I can see why there was reticent to investigate this further just to scratch an itch of curiosity, but still the itch remains.

I’d highly recommend this book. I’ve read other books on Wallenberg, and believe that this book offered substantial value added – particularly regarding the investigation of Wallenberg’s disappearance.

[Jeanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tog sin gilla tid jämte andra, mer lättare lästa böcker.

Årets bästa bok, alla kategorier.

Kommer rekommendera den här alla dagar i veckan.

Saklig, utan att vara tråkig.
Känsloladdad, utan att bli sentimental.

En fenomenal bok helt enkelt.

[Ludwig M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enastående biografi om en stor hjälte. Var njutning rakt igenom att ta del av.

[The American Conservative]

The myth of World War II goes like this: the Allies were good, they won, and the Jews who survived were saved from Hitler by the Allies’ virtuous war efforts. The reality goes more like this: the Allies and most neutral countries waited, and they waited, and they waited as the Jews—to say nothing of the Slavs, Russians, disabled, dissidents, homosexuals, and Romani—were persecuted and then exterminated by the Nazis.

Some nations did better than others. Denmark sent nearly all of its Jews away in time, while France and Poland mostly let their populations die. In 1939, the U.S. House voted down a bill that would have brought 20,000 Jewish children into the country.

But the FDR administration’s War Refugee Board was a success. Mostly funded by Jewish groups, this was a Hail Mary pass that needed a man in the field to help Jews escape—a task that fell to Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish businessman with no previous diplomatic experience. Without the bureaucratic brilliance of his team, which confidently handed out fake Swedish passports that protected Jews from deportation to Auschwitz, some 100,000 Budapest Jews would not have survived the war.

http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Angela Gyurko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the English version, translated by Ebba Segerberg and published in 2015, but I could not find this particular version listed, so I'm going with the Swedish for this review.

I shared bits and pieces with my spouse and I was reading this harrowing biography, and he asked how I could stand to read something so stressful. Was the current news of the world not enough?

Because once you're read the first two sections, and come to admire this amazing man and the ingenious ways he worked, dodging death and imprisonment with the Germans, you then get to the read him facing the same threat from the coming Soviets.

And then, the most horrifying of all...

In 1947, the Swiss managed to get back their two diplomats who had undertaken the same work -- saving as many Hungarian Jews as possible. In 1955, 9,000 German POWs returned. And yet Sweden could not manage to bring back one man?

Infuriating. But a story that every single person should know, both the heroics of Raoul Wallenberg and the carelessness of the government that didn't fight for his return. There's a time for politeness and a time for boldness. Learn from Raoul.

[John Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raoul Wallenberg entered the world in 1912 as swaddling member of Sweden’s most influential banking and business family, founders of Stockholm’s Enskilda Bank, an assiduously conservative organisation. He died thirtyfive or forty years later, perhaps as early as 17 July 1947 or as late as 31 July 1952. Interestingly, the Swedish Tax Agency only made official acknowledgment of his death in October 2016. (With a full explanation of the evident anomaly in this new book.)

Raoul Wallenberg by Ingrid Carlsberg is the latest of several books that tell the tale of a man from a privileged background who became hero to Hungarian Jews, many thousands of whom he saved from the terrors of the Nazi Holocaust. Sadly, although he lived through the later stages of the German occupation of Hungary, he was imprisoned by the Russians and died of “…perhaps heart failure.”

Ms Carlsberg’s book, sensitively translated by Ebba Segerberg and released through Hachette Australia, is the second I have read about the young man and his work. In part due to her research, including speaking in 2010 with by then elderly members of Raoul’s immediate family (one of whom died just a few months later, aged 100), and in part due to her sensitive approach, I made connection with a subject previously lacking.

Raoul’s education and future were planned and carefully controlled by his grandfather, Gustaf, who was the Swedish envoy to Constantinople. He was initially an ordinary student, needing to swot and resit at least two end of year examinations to enable his passage to higher classes. Even early in the book, this appears to explain some part of the reason he developed a strong personality, although combined with humility.

He attended University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, studying and excelling in architecture. He hoped to return to Sweden to be with close family but it was not to be. His grandfather, who funded his education, wanted Raoul to become a man of the world and to experience business in countries other than his own.

Still supported by grandpaternal funding, he entered unpaid indentureships in countries including South Africa and Palestine while advancing his business acumen. In Palestine, the young would-be businessman developed several long-term relationships with Jewish contemporaries. These would be telling in a few years’ time as Hitler led the world into universal war and Jewish persecution.

Finally at home and attempting to establish his future in business, his plans were altered when Germany overran Poland and war began in Europe. Raoul was uneasy about Sweden’s neutrality, especially when the Germans entered Denmark and Norway, the Swedish government even allowing passage to German troop trains). This twist of neutrality came about despite one of the businesses in which Raoul was involved dealing with the Vichy government, trading horses to France in return for truck tyres.

Business partnership with a Hungarian Jewish friend, Kálmán Lauer, who later became unable to return to Budapest, took Raoul frequently to the Hungarian capital. As a neutral, he also made trips to Germany and Occupied France and was able to observe much of what the Nazi regime did, gaining information that would later become valuable.

The war was no longer going so well for Germany, its forces suffering their first major reversal with defeat of the Wehrmacht at Stalingrad. The Hungarians, who fought alongside them, incurred massive losses. Behind Hitler’s back, the Horthy government, seeing the writing on the wall, began secret negotiations with the Allies. Thus, in 1944, German troops entered and occupied Hungary.

Eventually, in mid-1944, Raoul Wallenberg returned to Budapest as a diplomat (he was second choice; the first, Falke Bernadotte, a member of the Swedish royal family, was rejected by the Hungarians). His main purpose became helping save the country’s remaining Jewish population.

In the three months prior to Raoul’s arrival in July, Adolf Eichmann had deported at least four hundred thousand Hungarian Jews, the majority of whom had been sent direct to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. By that time, there were perhaps fewer than a quarter million Jews remaining in Hungary.

Raoul arranged production and issue of protective passes to Jewish people, allowing them to remove the yellow stars previously sewn onto their clothing and be treated as Swedish citizens, including for many safe passage to Sweden. Funds were raised by a committee in his homeland; he used these to rent many buildings. They were given names such as “Swedish Research Institute” or “Swedish Library,” with large Swedish flags suspended outside. By such means –one of many ploys he used – he managed to protect at least ten thousand people.

There is a great deal more to the man and his work than can be discussed in such a brief forum. The name Raoul Wallenberg is forever synonymous with what can be achieved by men and women of will in the face of evil. The book bearing his name is exceptional and one we might all read, especially to uderstand it is possible to help the downtrodden in the face of such incredible opposing odds.

The tragedy of his story is that, as the Russians entered Hungary, Raoul approached their leadership to ensure continued safety for his charges. He was arrested and incarcerated by them, dying a sad and lonely death in Moscow’s notorious Lubyanka prison within either months or, perhaps, a few years. Russian records of when or how he died are unclear.

The memory of Raoul Wallenberg is upheld in many ways by many countries, including Hungary, Israel, the US, Canada, Argentina and Australia. In a few short months in 1944-1945, he became one of mankind’s great humanitarians.

[Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tack för denna fina läsupplevelse. Det här är ett sannskyldigt mastodontarbete, hela tiden lika medryckande, gediget och balanserat. Olikt vissa andra recensenter här på Goodreads gladdes jag särskilt åt den rika barndomsskildringen, samt de många sidokommenterarena och anekdoterna. Istället för att nöja sig med en hyllningstext om räddningsaktioner och improviserat hjältemod pressar Carlberg samman ett helt universum i sin bok. I slutändan är det inte Wallenberg själv som spelar huvudrollen, utan det hav av omständigheter och slump – både lycklig och olycklig – som drog honom mot sitt tragiska öde.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. A very thorough examination not only of the life led by this regular man put in extraordinary circumstances, but also the political climates that led to his arrest by Soviet troops and the lack of urgency by the Swedish government to recover their native son. Included are author’s notes as she visits people and sites concerning Wallenberg, and the history of his family, many of whom were forever haunted by his disappearance. If you are interested in anything Wallenberg, this is the book for you.

[Avinash Padhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This superb biography is rich in details and extraordinarily researched.

[The Jewish Book Council]

Review by Bettina Berch for the Jewish Book Council.

[Kevin Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I came across Ingrid Carlberg's biography, I had never heard of Swedish architect and businessman Raoul Wallenberg before. Yet without his efforts in Hungary in 1944, many thousands more Jews would have died in the holocaust.

Wallenberg seems the most unlikely of heroes. From a wealthy banking family, he had lived a peripatetic life before finally settling down and setting up an import business. When he went to Hungary as part of Sweden's diplomatic team, he went way beyond his official remit and took many risks in order to save Hungarian Jews, providing them with temporary Swedish passports and keeping them as safe as he could. In order to do this, he had to liaise with some unsavoury - to say the least - people, including not only Hungarian fascists but Nazi officials. He wasn't interested in obeying rules or sticking to procedures, unless those procedures helped him save Jews from the holocaust.

When the Soviet Union liberated Hungary from the Nazis, he voluntarily went to meet Soviet leaders in order to discuss ways of freeing Jews he hadn't been able to help. The Soviet authorities arrested him and imprisoned him. After that, no-one really knows what happened to him. The Soviet Union claimed he had been executed in 1947, but others imprisoned in Russia said they had seen him in prison camps in the 1950s. Appallingly, Swedish politicians and diplomats were too interested in friendly relations with the Soviet Union to take serious steps to find out what happened. Equally appallingly, the Americans used his imprisonment as a tool of the cold war. In this forensic, detailed and at times moving and powerful biography, Ingrid Carlberg does her best to get at the truth.

[Emmeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag har hållit på den här boken i ganska precis ett decennium, då jag önskade mig den i julklapp och fick den julen 2012. Nu kan jag inte begripa varför jag höll på den så länge. Förvisso är de 700+ sidorna lite avskräckande, men Raoul Wallenbergs okända öde lockar till läsning och är ju fortfarande mycket av ett frågetecken än idag.

Ingrid Carlberg är en otrolig berättare vilket innebär en närmast hundraprocentig garanti för att läsaren blir både engagerad och berörd. Trots otrolig detaljrikedom av fakta varken stör det eller är svårt att hänga med även för den oinvigda. Jag tror att jag aldrig i mitt liv tidigare blivit berörd till tårar av en biografi men jag blev så engagerad att jag var tvungen att ta ganska långa pauser från boken av den enkla anledningen att jag blev så tagen.

Boken handlar om mer än Wallenberg och hans värv. Familjens ständiga sökande efter svar berör starkt och det politiska efterspelet väcker frustration. Balansen är dock perfekt för att fokus inte ska förflyttas från Raouls person och fantastiska hjältemodiga arbete.

I perspektiv har jag fortfarande svårt att förstå hur lite uppmärksamhet han fått i paritet med den otroliga gärningen som räddade så många judar undan Nazityskland.

Den som läser boken i förhoppning om definitiva svar blir ju självklart besviken, eftersom att de inte finns. Med tidens gång släcks såklart hoppet om definitiva svar. Jag hoppas att vi får dem en dag. Men framför allt hoppas jag att Raoul Wallenberg och hans gärningar aldrig blir bortglömda. Ingrid Carlberg har i allra högsta grad gjort ett ambitiöst försök till det förra och bidragit till det senare.

[Steve DeViney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A monumental and magnificent telling of the life and tragic abandonment of this most extraordinary man. I had wanted to read this book since it was first published in 2015 and had obtained a copy in the past year, but hesitated in beginning my reading. I knew the basic facts of Raoul Wallenberg, but knew that it had a profoundly sad ending.

Ingrid Carlberg’s book is without question the best, and most complete story of the life of Raoul Wallenberg. Still these 75 years since he disappeared from Budapest, his story is still not yet fully told. This is not the fault of the author. Her work here is extraordinary. It is however a continuing legacy of hidden information, both in Swedish archives, and in those of the KGB in Moscow and its predecessor organizations. Continuing to refuse access to all sources is a maddening fact. I would hope that Wallenberg’s remaining family, and others who have a love and admiration for what he accomplished and endured will not give up the quest to obtain a full accounting of his time spent in captivity in Russia, and of his execution, however and wherever it finally occurred.

This is indeed a most worthy book to read. Yes, the 600 pages can be daunting to ponder. But if you want to know what a true hero is, and of the sacrifice it required, here is your example. Thank Ingrid Carlberg for your most devoted work in telling his story.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterfully written biography. Part coming-of-age story, part WWII history, part lesson on diplomacy and statecraft, part detective mystery and thriller; it compellingly shows how and why a man who disappeared in 1945 at age 32 stayed relevant as a symbol, a moral parable and a political tool well into the 21st century.

I thought myself reasonably well educated on Wallenberg's life and achievements, as I am one of thousands who count him as among the reasons for my ancestors' survival in Budapest 1944-45. However, every chapter of this book left me with new knowledge about Wallenberg's life and/or my grandmother's childhood.

I often emphasize the need to "humanize" history, as I believe it's the only way to truly see ourselves as a part of it and learn from it. I have an invaluable resource in this regard, the ability to call my grandma. The next best thing is to read a book like the one Ingrid Carlberg has written, which takes a lionized historical superman, turns him back into a man and allows you to see yourself in his story.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's worth exploring the lives of people that stand up to power, governments, etc. and are willing to put their own lives at risk for the sake of others. These are the aspects of humanity that I would like to foster and attempt to impart on future generations.

In this work, I appreciated the depth of the exploration into Raol's formative years, schooling and family. I think this provided context to better understand Raol's character and how he developed into a person willing to take the risks he did.

The latter part of the book after his disappearance highlighted for me key failures in Swedish diplomatic policy, specifically in relation to appeasement, lack of understanding of the other parties, and adherence to an overly rigid unwillingness to trade prisoners. This was especially interesting in light of how Raol operated in Budapest and what allowed him the successes he was able to achieve.

Hopefully others continue to learn about Raol and celebrate his efforts and the sacrifices endured by him and his family as a result of his efforts.

[Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det här känns som en viktig bok som breddar och fördjupar min och jag hoppas mångas förståelse för det vi inte vill uppleva igen. Författaren har gjort ett enormt arbete att kartlägga, intervjua och finna dokumentation. Stilistiskt är det bra berättat med ett flyt i språk och berättelse. Det är enbart någon gång när hon inte har så mkt dokumentation att utgå från som berättelsen "tappar fart". Historien är i tre delar och ger var och en olika perspektiv. 1. om Wallenbergfamiljen och dess män och makt. 2. om andra världskrigets fasor och i stort och inte minst i Ungern. 3 om när politik blir lika med oförmåga. Allt kretsande kring Raouls livsöde, livshistoria och inte minst hans modiga gärningar under kriget som räddade många undan en säker död och där hans eget liv fick avslutas tidigt och på ett tragiskt sätt.

[Susanne Kjellsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Känner mig som en del av von Dardels, i deras letande efter svar. Känner mig tom, besviken och frustrerad över regeringens och UD:s arbete och inställning till hans ”försvinnande”. Hur var det ens möjligt att inte utforma en offentlig order vid hans försvinnande 1945?? Boken, historien, hans liv och arbete lämnar mig med en djup tacksamhet och stolthet över att nästan ha levt i samtid med honom eller i alla fall hans familj. Vilken STOR MAN och vilket fruktansvärt tragiskt öde han gick till mötes. Var det tacken?!

Ingrid Carlberg har fångat varenda detalj så fint, alla personliga möten, dokument, brev, sinnesstämningar allt är noga efterforskat och nedskrivet. Inget har lämnats åt slumpen! Jag är djupt imponerad av detta storverk, inget har lämnats åt slumpen och skulle vilja föreslå boken som en del av svensk undervisning. Tack Ingrid 🙏🏻

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic biography about someone that should be known more. I loved losing myself among the many, many pages for the book, and felt a bit sad when it was over.
This is one of those examples that show one regular person can in fact do a lot. The description of the events in Budapest reads like a thriller, but the human tragedy makes it even more impactful. And the saddest part is that when push came to shove, others were not as ready to do the same for him as he did for others. The last part of the book, about Maj's search is quite heartbreaking as well. Overall this is a bitter-sweet book, one of the best of its kind I've read recently. Will definitely walk the streets of Budapest differently from now on.

[Cindy Wiedemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a very deep dive into the life of Raoul Wallenberg. Very detailed, very indepth, very well written. However I found it at times boring, and dragged on. I realize the story is what it is, and for the family that really lived through not knowing it wasn't boring. I had never heard of this person, or what he had done to save Hungarian Jews in WW2. It's a fascinating story. Hopefully one day the truth will be revealed of what happened to him, why, and when he did die. The secrets hidden behind Russians archives are no doubt vast and dark. I recommend this book if someone has an interest in biographies, and historical people, but it's a large undertaking and not a simple or quick read.

[Susu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detaillierte Biographie über Raoul Wallenberg - seine Familie, Erziehung und wie er zum Einsatz als Legationsrat in Budapest kam - mit der Aufgabe so viele Juden wie möglich vor der Nazi-Mordmaschine zu retten. Mit Einsatz und Einfallsreichtum organisiert Wallenberg die Ausstellung schwedischer Schutzpässe bis mitten hinein in das Chaos der Befreiung Budapests - NS-Truppen, Pfeilkreuzler, die Rote Armee. Detailliert schildert die Autorin die Verhaftung durch die Sowjets und erste Stationen im Gefängnis - und die andauernden Bemühungen um Aufklärung. Auch 1989 bekommt die Familie nur ein paar Besitztümer, aber keine abschließende Auskunft. Detailliert und dennoch sehr lesbar.

[Philip Swärd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used as a source in my study of Wallenberg I read this carefully although very enthusiastically.

I can strongly recommend anyone who’s historically interested to read this book. It debunks myths about MR Wallenberg that few other authors would dare to, and backs it up with solid groundwork and reliable sources. The book isn’t as much a drama as it’s a hymn to the deeply buried truth about a man who’s destiny forever will be stuck in the shadows. Don’t read the book if you’re out for a thriller, instead read the book if you’re truly up for a real life mystery.

[Carole Hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raoul Wallenberg: Righteous among the Nations.
The story of this man's moral courage, in the face of anarchy and terror, deserves to be documented and shared.
Ingrid Carlberg has researched thoroughly, and recorded the details, sometimes harrowing and tragic, of his life, the historical context, and the search for answers as to his fate.

At 600 pages, this is an exhaustive study.
But, like 'East West Street' by Philippe Sands, it is engaging, thought provoking, and enlightening.

*Ebba Segerberg, the translator, has done a masterful job with this book.

[Diva]

Tillfällig DNF på typ 40% eftersom jag spillde vatten 2 ggr på boken så väntar nog ett tag tills jag fortsätter MEN hittils jätteintressant för den som gillar historia. Skriven inte som en Wikipedia-sida utan typ som en vän som återberättar typ, vilket jag tyckte om. En önskan vore dock om författaren kunde skriva icke-västliga namn i rätt ordningsföljd där de har ursprunget ifrån. Tänker på många ungerska namn så är efternamnet före av olika anledningar och det vore mer korrekt samt mer hänsynsfullt att skriva Efternamn-Förnamn i de fallen.