In 1959, Radio Free Europe started broadcasting rock ‘n’ roll to Hungary, exposing young people to the rise of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and other Western bands staunchly forbidden on Hungary’s state radio. Government officials behind the Iron Curtain loathed rock ‘n’ roll for its inherently anti-communist undertones, which encouraged independence, open-mindedness, and individuality. Indeed, young people in the Eastern Bloc used rock ‘n’ roll as a means to defy the regime, organizing secret rock concerts, forming cover bands, and selling albums on the black market. I once read that in the USSR fans made copies of Beatles records out of X-rays they stole from hospitals.
Capitalizing on Beatlemania and the love of music it inspired in a generation of young people, Ekecs created a number of programs centered on rock ‘n’ roll. One of these programs was called Mail Order Melody, where he played music requests mailed to him directly from Hungarian teenagers like Titanilla, and our beloved Mike a Korvinközből (yes, that was a code name used by a real letter-writer). Since the government read, censored, and sometimes destroyed mail, Ekecs instructed his listeners to use pseudonyms and to call him Laszlo Cseke or Uncle Lanci. Many letters never made it to Ekecs, but for those that did, the authors’ pseudonyms were read aloud before their requested songs.
In their letters, fans opened up to Ekecs about their lives, relationships, ambitions, and struggles. Finally, someone representing a powerful institution was listening to the young people of Hungary, rather than telling them what to do. “We like this program also for another reason: It has several ‘co-editors,’ who write to you because their requests would never be fulfilled at home,” wrote a listener going by the name “Örefegu.” Or, as another fan put it, writing to Uncle Lanci was like having “an affair with the enemy.”
When I first found these letters, I would have never guessed they would be the beginning of a novel. I featured them prominently in my senior thesis and graduated college. I moved to New Mexico, started working as a journalist, and tried to move on from that stressful senior year. Every few days, however, my mind would wander back to the letters. I think what struck me the most was the deep optimism and openness these teenagers maintained, despite the repression they endured. They believed in something better. Except, it wasn’t necessarily the West they believed in. It was just that expression could set them free, and they would pursue that to no end, both through their words and in the music to which they listened.
Mike a Korvinközből, in particular, really touched me. He dreamed of being a dentist, but was blocked from doing so by the government. He wrote to Uncle Lanci asking for help getting to the West. I’ll never know if he received that help, but I can only hope that he found a way to follow his dream. While I imagined his story, as well as that of Ekecs and the remaining characters and circumstances in Radio Underground, I endeavored to mirror the thoughts and feelings of the letter-writers as much as possible. They are, and always will be, some of the most honest, fun, and brave people I have ever encountered.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Deepest gratitude to Last Syllable Books and Selene Joy Castrovilla, who pushed me to complete Radio Underground and put it out there for the world to see. To Joyce Sweeney, who gave me the confidence and guidance to turn Radio Underground into a novel. To Jenny Peterson, whose careful editing saved me many errors and missteps, and whose eye for detail is something I will always be in awe of. To Damonza for designing a cover that represents so perfectly the story I tried to convey. To the University of California, Berkeley for inspiring me to study history and challenging me to write that menacing thesis, which turned into this very book. To Stanford University’s Hoover Institution Library and Archives, which houses the letters that inspired Radio Underground. To Kate Sederstrom, Susan Breen and Kim van Alkemade for being great liaisons to the literary world. To my family who always knew I could do it, even when (especially when) I didn’t believe in myself. To my mom, dad, Bill, Lisa, Ben, Sam, Lizzie, grandpa, Celia and, of course, my grandma, to whom this book is dedicated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Littman was born in 1987. She lives in San Francisco where she is a writer by day and stand up comedian by night. This is her first novel.
Praise for Radio Underground
“Radio Underground tells a thrilling story of family and loyalty in the face of oppression. Its richly evoked historical setting took me back to the Cold War era, while its warm-blooded characters stole my heart. A propulsive read and a timely reminder that maintaining our humanity requires courage as much as love.”
“When I discovered Alison Littman’s Radio Underground I was stunned by its ambition and scope. What an undertaking! But could Littman pull off setting such a tumultuous scene vividly and accurately, plus share an emotional family drama? The answer is a resounding yes! Littman’s debut novel is a delectable blend of history and heartstrings, sure to please the palates of literature lovers everywhere.”
“Set during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and its heartbreaking aftermath, this vivid and compelling novel is a story of courage, family and the importance of ‘breaking the silence.’”
“Alison Littman writes with unusual clarity… The author thrusts readers right into the inner worlds of the characters — tense, tumultuous, and reeling with varying emotions… Radio Underground reads like a movie; it is a story with powerful historical references, a strong plot, and characters that force readers to follow them. A revolutionary tale written with style.”
Copyright
Last Syllable Books Edition, November 2018
Copyright © 2018 by Alison Littman
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address 4251 New York Avenue, Island Park, NY 11558.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-0-9964306-3-0
Book design by Damonza