Count Albert Wass de Szentegyed et Czege ( hu, gróf szentegyedi és cegei Wass Albert; January 8, 1908 – February 17, 1998) was a Hungarian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

, forest engineer, novelist, poet, and member of the

Wass de Czege {{unreferenced, date=November 2009 The Wass family (also known as czegei Wass or cegei Wass) is one of the oldest Hungarian noble families in Transylvania (today part of Romania); their lineage can be traced without interruption from the beginning ...

family. Wass was born in Válaszút,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now Răscruci,

Cluj County Cluj County (; german: Kreis Klausenburg, hu, Kolozs megye) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its seat ( ro, Oraș reședință de județ) is Cluj-Napoca (german: Klausenburg). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Kolozs megye ...

, Romania) in 1908. In 1944 he fled from Hungary, and then joined the fleeing forces of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and ended up in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, then emigrated to the U.S. after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was condemned as a war criminal by the

Romanian People's Tribunals The two Romanian People's Tribunals ( ro, Tribunalele Poporului), the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal (which sat in Cluj) were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied ...

, however, United States authorities refused to extradite Wass to Romania claiming the lack of solid evidence. The works of Albert Wass first gained recognition within

Hungarian literature Hungarian literature is the body of written works primarily produced in Hungarian,

from

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

in the 1940s. In 1944 he moved to Germany and later in 1952 to the United States, and lived there until his 1998 death in

Astor Park, Florida Astor Park is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Florida, United States. The community straddles State Road 40, with the community of Astor to the east and the Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nati ...

. During the communist regime, his books were banned both in Hungary and in Romania. Part of his works was published in Hungary after the change of political system in 1989, however, before this time, his works were unknown to the Hungarian public. He is popular among the

Hungarian minority in Romania The Hungarian minority of Romania ( hu, Romániai magyarok; ro, maghiarii din România) is the largest ethnic minority in Romania, consisting of 1,227,623 people and making up 6.1% of the total population, according to the 2011 Romanian cen ...

and has growing popularity in Hungary. In 2005 in a public assessment ('' Nagy Könyv''), he was found to be one of the most popular Hungarian authors: his book "''A funtineli boszorkány''" (''The Witch of Funtinel'') was named the 12th most popular book; two more books were named in the top 50 ranking, including the family saga "''Kard és kasza''" (''Sword and Scythe'').

Family

The Wass family has traced its descent from the age of

Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or ''kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' gy ...

, and is one of the oldest noble families in Transylvania. The family received the title of count from

Maria Theresia Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

in 1744. His grandfather, Béla Wass, was a parliamentarian and Lord Lieutenant (főispán) of

Szolnok-Doboka county Szolnok-Doboka was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Romania (northern Transylvania). The capital of the county was Dés (now Dej, Romania). Geography Szolnok-Doboka county shared ...

. His father was Count Endre Wass (1886–1975), his mother Baroness Ilona Bánffy de Losonc (1883–1960). He has six sons: Vid Wass de Czege, Csaba Wass de Czege,

Huba Wass de Czege A Hungarian immigrant, Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege (pronounced VOSH de TSEH-geh) (born August 13, 1941) is the son of Count Albert Wass de Szentegyed et Czege. Wass de Czege retired from the United States Army as a General Officer wit ...

, Miklós Wass de Czege, Geza Wass de Czege and Endre (Andreas) Wass von Czege.

Youth

Albert Wass was born in ''Válaszút'' (today Răscruci) at the Bánffy mansion of Válaszút, distinct from the nearby Bánffy castle of Bonchida. His parents divorced early, and he was mostly brought up by his grandfather, Béla Wass. He graduated from the

Reformed Church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

Secondary School in

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

on Farkas Street and subsequently earned a diploma in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

from the Academy of Economics in

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

, Hungary. He continued his studies of forestry and

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Hohenheim Hohenheim () is one of 18 outer quarters of the city of Stuttgart in the borough of Plieningen that sits on the Filder in central Baden-Württemberg. It was founded in 1782. Geography Hohenheim sits on the Filder, a large and fertile plateau i ...

, Germany, and

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he received additional diplomas. He returned to

in 1932, as his father fell ill. He had to attend obligatory military service in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

and later settled to run the family estate in the

Transylvanian Plain The Transylvanian Plain ( ro, Câmpia Transilvaniei; hu, Mezőség, ) is an ethnogeographical area in Transylvania, Romania, located between the Someșul Mare and the Someșul Mic rivers to the north and west and the Mureș River to the south and ...

. His first wife was his cousin Baroness Éva Siemers (1914–1991) of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. "Due to pressure from my family, I had to marry my cousin in 1935 (...) this was the only way to avoid bankruptcy of the family lands", Wass wrote later. He had six children (Vid, Csaba, Huba, Miklós, Géza, Endre); Csaba died at age three.

, born in 1941 in Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania) had a significant career in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, achieving the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He is known as a principal designer of the "

AirLand Battle AirLand Battle was the overall conceptual framework that formed the basis of the United States Army, US Army's European warfighting doctrine from 1982 into the late 1990s. AirLand Battle emphasized close coordination between land forces acting ...

military doctrine Military doctrine is the expression of how military forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, rather than being hard and fast rules. Doctrine provides a common frame of reference across ...

"Brigadier General (Ret.) Huba Wass de Czege"
/ref> and took part in the planning of

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

against Iraq in 1991. Wass started to write poems, short stories, and articles. His first books were published in 1927 and 1929 in Cluj. In 1934, his novel ''Farkasverem'' (''Wolfpit'') was published by the Transylvanian Guild of Arts. In 1935, he was accepted member of the Transylvanian Guild of Arts, and at the same time he was the first young Transylvanian to be awarded the

Baumgarten Prize The Baumgarten Prize was founded by Ferenc Ferdinánd Baumgarten on October 17, 1923. It was awarded every year from 1929 to 1949 (except for 1945). In its time, it was the most prestigious literary prize awarded by Hungary and is considered as equ ...

. After the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...

(30 August 1940), northern Transylvania was reassigned to Hungary, so in 1941, Wass was nominated as the primary forest monitor in the Ministry of Agriculture for the area near Dés (now

Dej Dej (; hu, Dés; german: Desch, Burglos; yi, דעעש ''Desh'') is a municipality in Transylvania, Romania, north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the river Someșul Mic meets the river Someșul Mare. The city administers four vill ...

During World War II

From May 1942 he took part in military training with the Hungarian

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

as a reserve officer, achieving rank of

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. In his memoirs, Wass claims to have become

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of '' Ellenzék'' in May 1943, as his boss was drafted into the army. He writes:

two soldiers of
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
entered the editorial, showing the order they have to monitor the newspaper. I simply left the building, and walked up the mountains. Two weeks later, my father sent me a message that the Germans are looking for me. To avoid conflict, General Veress, the commander of military troops in North Transylvania has given me a uniform, and as master sergeant he sent me to
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
with 9th Hungarian Cavalry, from which I returned only at Christmas.

Wass became the aide-de-camp of General

Lajos Veress Lajos Veress de Dálnok (4 October 1889 - 29 March 1976) was a Hungarian military officer, who served as commander of the Hungarian Second Army during the Second World War. Veress was born into a Székely noble family. He finished his studies ...

in 1944. As the war was drawing to an end and the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

(and later Romanian) troops were drawing forward into Transylvania, as an officer, he did not wait for the occupation of North Transylvania, but on Easter 1945, crossed the border and chose

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

World War II sentence for war crimes

In May 1946, both Albert Wass and his father, Endre Wass, were sentenced to death ''

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in absen ...

'' by a Romanian tribunal for ordering the killing of Romanian peasants from Sucutard and Mureșenii de Câmpie and their possessions were confiscated, This book was published b
Edmund Siemers Foundation
responsible publisher Dr. Andreas Graf Wass von Czege. Edmund Siemers, a rich merchant and shipowner, was the grandfather of Eva Siemers, Albert Wass's first wife, and Andreas (Endre) Graf Wass von Czege is the last son of the Eva and Albert Wass. by

Romanian People's Tribunal The two Romanian People's Tribunals ( ro, Tribunalele Poporului), the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal (which sat in Cluj) were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied ...

, a

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

set up by the post-

government of Romania, overseen by the

Allied Control Commission Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far Eastern ...

to trial suspected war criminals, in line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement with Romania.

References Reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''name'' ...

RICHR: Ch.12 – Trials of the war criminals, page 5 The tribunal were to a large extent set up on the model of the

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...

International Tribunal. The two were accused for events that happened in September 1940, when the Hungarian forces marched into North Transylvania, when a Hungarian lieutenant, Pakucs, arrested six inhabitants (a Romanian priest and his family, his Hungarian servant, also Romanian peasants, and a local Jewish merchant and his family) of Sucutard (''Szentgothárd''), and then shot to death two Romanian men and two Jewish women, Eszter and Róza Mihály in Ţaga (''Czege''), at the order of Albert and Endre Wass, when they allegedly attempted to escape. Albert Wass was also accused for, as the alleged instigator, for the shootings at Mureşenii de Câmpie (''Omboztelke''), when Hungarian soldiers, led by Lieutenant Gergely Csordás, killed 11

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Wass defended himself as not present at the killings. Romanian authorities tried several times to have him extradited to Romania, however in 1979, after several revisions, the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

refused the petition due to lack of evidence. This was confirmed even after the

Wiesenthal Center The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating anti-Semitism, tolerance educa ...

denounced him, as he was among the people who were accused of killing Jews. After the analysis of the case, the U.S. dropped the charges against him. Wass continued to insist that he had nothing to do with the killings, and claimed he was the victim of a "

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

-Romanian" conspiracy. Albert Wass claimed several times that the secret police of Communist Romania, the

Securitate The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...

, was trying to assassinate him, but he was not able to prove it. In 1986, he shot a film on bullet marks allegedly resulting from an attempt to kill him, but no solid evidence was found to link it to the Securitate. The two perpetrators of that attempt have been captured by American police, but they were released on account of their Romanian diplomatic passport. In 2008, his son, Andreas Wass, appealed to the Romanian courts to annul the sentence, but the Romanian courts found that no new evidence was presented and as such, the sentence was upheld.

Emigration

First traveling to

Sopron Sopron (; german: Ödenburg, ; sl, Šopron) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a ...

, he then moved onward to Bleichbach and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany, and lived there till 1951, where the family of his first wife, Éva Siemers, had been living. He found a job as a nightwatchman at a construction site. In 1951, Wass emigrated to the United States, together with four of his sons (Vid, Huba, Miklós, and Géza). Due to pulmonary disease, his wife was unable to receive approval for emigration from the US administration and was subsequently left behind in Germany with their other son Endre. The couple later divorced. In 1952, he married Elizabeth McClain (1905–1987) Elizabeth was the daughter of WG McClain and Florence McClain of Bellaire Ohio both respectively Irish and English immigrants. Elizabeth's family consisted of four children to three girls two boys Carolyn Rose Joseph and John we're her siblings she also had children from a previous relationship two girls and a boy. Wass founded the American Hungarian Guild of Arts, managing its academic work and publishing activities, and editing its newsletter. He launched his own publishing house, the Danubian Press, which published not only books but English language magazines of the American Hungarian Guild of Arts, too. The Transylvanian Quarterly dealing with Transylvania and related issues, then the Hungarian Quarterly undertaking the general problems of the Hungarian nation became the most important anti-Bolshevik forum of Hungarian exiles. On 20 August 1993 he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the ...

by president

Árpád Göncz Árpád Göncz (; 10 February 1922 – 6 October 2015) was a Hungarian writer, translator, agronomist, and liberal politician who served as President of Hungary from 2 May 1990 to 4 August 2000. Göncz played a role in the Hungarian Revolution ...

according to the proposal of prime minister

József Antall József Tihamér Antall Jr. ( hu, ifjabb Antall József Tihamér, ; 8 April 1932 – 12 December 1993) was a Hungarian teacher, librarian, historian, and statesman who served as the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, holdin ...

, received the next year from the Hungarian consul of Florida and

Sándor Csoóri Sándor Csoóri (3 February 1930 – 12 September 2016) was a Hungarian poet, essayist, writer, and politician. Biography In 1950, he graduated from the Reformed College in the town of Pápa ( :hu:Pápai Református Kollégium) and then studied ...

at his home. Wass's application for naturalization in Hungary was first refused by the government between 1994 and 1998, as his death sentence in Hungary had not been revoked, then impeded by a reply that the naturalization certificate of the 90-year-old author would have been valid for only a year from the date of issue. Wass committed suicide on February 17, 1998, at age 90 in his

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

residence after a long struggle with a medical condition. His final wish was to have his remains placed in the garden of Kemény villa in Brâncoveneşti,

Mureș County Mureș County (, ro, Județul Mures, hu, Maros megye) is a county ('' județ'') of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative ...

, next to the tomb of author János Kemény. Wass Albert Harkány

Citizenship and rehabilitation attempts

A Kemény kastély kertje - Marosvécs (19)

It was a long debate in the Hungarian press about the fact that Albert Wass has not received Hungarian citizenship, in spite of his several applications, the explanation given being that he had again became a Romanian citizen after the 1946 Paris Peace Conference. In 2007, Hungarian members of parliament

István Simicskó István Simicskó (born 29 November 1961) is a Hungarian politician of the governing Fidesz–KDNP coalition. He has been a Member of the National Assembly since 1998. He served as Minister of Defence from 10 September 2015 to 18 May 2018. Studi ...

(

KDNP The Christian Democratic People's Party ( hu, Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt, KDNP) is a right-wing Christian democratic political party in Hungary. It is officially a coalition partner of the ruling party, Fidesz, but is mostly considered a sat ...

, Christian Democrats) and

Mihály Babák Mihály Babák (born 12 November 1947) is a Hungarian politician, member of the National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicam ...

(

Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán. It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...

, Young Democrats) have asked president

László Sólyom László Sólyom ( hu, Sólyom László, ; born 3 January 1942) is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 until 2010. Previously he was Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Hungary f ...

to grant Albert Wass citizenship posthumously, but were replied that this is not possible for several reasons, for example, he had already received citizenship in 1997, so the writer has died as Hungarian

however, the certificate of citizenship (but not the citizenship itself) was valid only for one year and he refused it as being offensive. In recent years, some representatives of the

and his family attempted his rehabilitation. His son's request for a retrial of the case was rejected by the Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice (Romania), High Court of Cassation and Justice in 2007. His life has never been examined thoroughly in court, so as a consequence it is a predominant view among Romanians that Albert Wass is a criminal, responsible for the murdering of Romanians and Jews and his condemnation by the Tribunal is just. The rehabilitation attempts are seen as immoral particularly by relatives of those he was accused of murdering. On May 22, 2004, a statue was unveiled in

Odorheiu Secuiesc Odorheiu Secuiesc (; hu, Székelyudvarhely, ; german: Odorhellen) is the second largest municipality in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania. In its short form, it is also known as ''Odorhei'' in Romanian and ''Udvarhely'' in Hungarian. The Hun ...

bearing no name, only the Hungarian inscription "Vándor Székely" (Wandering Szekler). The sculpture was interpreted in the Romanian press as being of Albert Wass. Two statues of Wass have been moved to the interior of the Hungarian churches in

Reghin Reghin (; hu, Szászrégen, or ; german: (Sächsisch) Regen) is a city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The ...

and

Lunca Mureșului Lunca Mureșului ( hu, Székelykocsárd; german: Holten) is a commune located in the north-east of the Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Gura Arieșului (''Vajdaszeg''; ''Walddorf'') and Lunca Mureșului. Geogra ...

. Although Romanian law forbids the cult of those condemned for "offence against peace and mankind or promoting

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

or xenophobe ideology", some Romanian localities predominantly inhabited by Hungarian ethnics still retain commemorative statues of Albert Wass. They argue the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Romania on 21 June 2004 in written declared – in another trial -: "Regarding the analysis of the relevant international laws applied for war crimes and offence against peace and mankind that also Romania ratified (Geneva Conventions 12. 08. 1949 – "...") the conclusion is the activities of Albert Wass convict are not belonging to those crimes that are summarized in these international conventions. Conclusion: "..." Albert Wass was not condemned for offence against peace and mankind" In another trial, a person was charged because he put a statue in his own yard in

Sovata Sovata (; hu, Szováta; Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a town in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Căpeți (''Kopac''), Ilieși (''Illyésmező''), and Săcădat (''Szakadát''). In 2004, the vill ...

. Finally he was released from the charge and the authorities were obligated to restore the statue to its original place. Albert Wass also has commemorative statues in several localities in Hungary, where he is considered by some on the Right to be a hero and a victim of the regime. The representatives of the ruling Fidesz party and the radical nationalist

Jobbik The Movement for a Better Hungary ( hu, Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom), commonly known as Jobbik (), is a conservative political party in Hungary. Originating with radical and nationalist roots, at its beginnings, the party described itself ...

party together voted in early 2011 that several public squares be named after him in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Novels, publications

In his 1939 work ''Farkasverem'' (''Wolfpit''), he described how the Trianon generation found their feet again: the unity of the presentation of social reality, the quest for meting out justice in history, together with ancient language, music, rhythm conquered the hearts of many readers in Hungary. In 1939, he was elected member of the Transylvanian Literary Society and the Kisfaludy Society. In 1940, he was awarded the Baumgarten Prize the second time. In 1942, he received the

Klebelsberg Award The Klebelsberg Award ( hu, Klebelsberg-díj) is a distinction awarded to Hungarian institutions or persons who have contributed to cultural activities in Hungary. The award was established in 1935 in memory of former Hungarian culture minister C ...

and in the same year on a memorable tour in Hungary he represented Transylvanian literature together with three of his peers. He was even elected member of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

as appreciation for his knowledge in forestry. His writings were patriotic but did not exacerbate the tensions between the Romanian and Hungarian population during the recover of Northern Transylvania as a consequence of the

. His fable ''A patkányok honfoglalása – Tanulságos mese fiatal magyaroknak'' ("The Conquest by the Rats – A Fable for Young Hungarians"), which tells how rats take over a house, because they are tolerated by the magnanimous landowner, is considered paradigmatic for

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

story-telling.''Symbolische Figuren'' ("Symbolic Figures"), essay by

Krisztián Ungváry Krisztián Ungváry (born 30 October 1969) is a Hungarian historian of 20th century political and military history. He wrote about the siege of Budapest in World War II and researched the work of the secret service under the communist period o ...

, author of ''A Horthy-rendszer mérlege, Budapest 2013, in "Budapester Zeitung" from January 30th 2012: ��after the Ghettoization of the Jews in Transylvania lbert Wasspublished an essay with the telling title ''The Conquest by the Rats''. The story is only an allegory, but any other interpretation than identifying Jews with rats seems hardly credible. http://www.budapester.hu/bz/2012/01/30/essay-3/ *1934 ''Farkasverem (Wolfpit)'' *1940 ''Csaba'' *1940 ''Mire a fák megnőnek (By the Time the Trees Grow)'' *1940 ''Jönnek! (They Are Coming!)'' *1943 ''A kastély árnyékában (In the Castle's Shade)'' *1943 ''Egyedül a világ ellen (All Alone Against the World)'' *1943 ''Vérben és viharban'' (In Blood and Storm) *1944 ''Tavaszi szél és más színművek (Spring Breeze and Other Plays)'' *1945 ''Valaki tévedett (Somebody Made a Mistake) (short stories from 1945 to 1949)'' *1945 ''A költő és a macska (The Poet and the Cat) (short stories)'' *1947 ''A rézkígyó (The Copper Snake)'' *1949 ''Adjátok vissza a hegyeimet! (English edition:

Give Back My Mountains to Me! Give may refer to: making someone get or receive something from someone Places * Give, Denmark, a small town ** Give Municipality, a former municipality Music * ''Give'' (Balkan Beat Box album), 2012 album by Balkan Beat Box * ''Give'' (The Bad ...

, 1970, Eric Massey)'' *1951 ''Ember az országút szélén (English edition: Man by the Side of the Road, 1984)'' *1952 ''Elvész a nyom (The Trail Perishes)'' *1953 ''Tizenhárom almafa (Thirteen Apple Trees)'' *1958 ''Az Antikrisztus és a pásztorok (The

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) 1 John ; . 2 John . ...

and the Shepherds)'' *1959 ''A funtineli boszorkány (The Witch of Funtinel)'' *1964 ''Átoksori kísértetek (English edition:

The Purple Ghosts of Damnation Row ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, 1964)'' *1965 ''Elvásik a veres csillag (English edition: The Red Star Wanes, 1965)'' *1967 ''Magukrahagyottak (English edition: Forsaken are the Brave,1967)'' *1974 ''Kard és kasza (Sword and Scythe)'' *1978 ''Halálos köd Holtember partján (English edition: Deadly Fog at Dead Man's Landing)'' *1982 ''

Eliza and the House that Jack Built ELIZA is an early natural language processing computer program created from 1964 to 1966 at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum. Created to demonstrate the superficiality of communication between humans and machines, ...

: Historical Novel'' (in English) *1985 ''Hagyaték (Inheritance)'' *1989 ''Te és a világ (You and the World) (short stories)'' *''Igazságot Erdélynek! (Justice for Transylvania)'' *''Józan magyar szemmel I-II. (Through the Eye of a Sober Hungarian)'' *''Karácsonyi üzenetek – A temető megindul (Messages from Christmas – the Cemetery Starts to Move)'' *''Magyar pólus (Hungarian Pole)'' *''Népirtás Erdélyben (Genocide in Transylvania)'' *''Hűség bilincsében (In the Chains of Fidelity)'' *''Hanky tanár úr (Professor Hanky)'' *''Se szentek, se hősök (Neither Saints nor Heroes)'' *''A szikla alatti férfi (The Man Below the Cliff)'' *''A sólyom hangja (The Voice of the Falcon)'' *''Csillag az éjszakában (Star in the Night)'' *''Black Hammock'' *''Magyar Számadás (Hungarian Accounts)'' *''Nem nyugaton kel fel a nap (The Sun Does Not Rise in the West)'' *''Voltam (I was/I have/had been)''

Poems, fables, narrations

*1927 ''Virágtemetés (Flower Burial)'' (poem) *1943 ''Tavak könyve (Book of the Lakes)'' (fable) *1947 ''Erdők könyve (Book of the Woods)'' (fable) *1947 ''A láthatatlan lobogó (The Invisible Flag)'' (poem) *1970 ''Valaki tévedett (Somebody Made a Mistake)'' (narrations) *1972 ''Válogatott magyar mondák és népmesék (Assorted Hungarian Legends and Folktales)'' *1978 ''A költő és a macska (The Poet and the Cat)'' (narration)

Awards

Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award The Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award is a European award for literature presented in Budapest since 1997. The native form of this name is Balassi Bálint-emlékkard ( Balassi Bálint-emlékkard). This award commemorates the 16th century Hung ...

Hungarian Heritage Award The Hungarian Heritage Award ( hu, Magyar Örökség díj) is a distinction awarded to Hungarian institutions or persons who have contributed to activities of Hungarian culture, economy, sports or science, to ensure the spiritual uplift of Hungar ...

References

External links

A biographical sketch of his father by Huba Wass

* Romania During World War II – The Antonescu regime's complicity in the Holocaust *
"Febra răsăriteană a reabilitărilor – Cazul Albert Wass"
, William Totok, ''

Observator Cultural ''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania. The magazine was started in 2000. The weekly publishes articles on Romania's cultural and arts scene as well as politica ...

'' *
"Criminalul Wass Albert loveşte din nou"
Mihai Petean, ''Gazeta de Cluj'' *
"Criminalul Wass omagiat la Odorhei de 15 martie"
George Damian, ''

Ziua ''Ziua'' (''The Day'' in Romanian) was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. ''Ziua'' was founded in 1994 by Sorin Roşca Stănescu, eve ...

'', March 18, 2006
The archive of the Wass de Czege family (Hungarian)

Official homepage of Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award
which is founded by Pal Molnar {{DEFAULTSORT:Wass, Albert 1908 births 1998 deaths 1998 suicides People from Cluj County People from the Kingdom of Hungary Hungarian nobility Hungarian military personnel of World War II Hungarian people convicted of war crimes 20th-century Hungarian poets 20th-century Hungarian novelists Hungarian male poets University of Florida faculty People convicted by the Romanian People's Tribunals People sentenced to death in absentia Hungarian forestry engineers Hungarian emigrants to the United States Baumgarten Prize winners Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award winners Recipients of the Klebelsberg Award 20th-century Hungarian male writers Hungarian male novelists Anti-Romanian sentiment Antisemitism in Hungary Antisemitism in Romania Hungarian fascists