Laszlo Malota swept through the public with his first, semi-autobiographical novel, Sanctuary of the Guilty winning the hearts and minds of the Hungarian audiences. His books have been on the bestseller list for a long time, occasionally surpassing Imre Kertész’s Nobel Prize winning book.

Inspired by his own experiences as a seminary student, Laszlo Malota vividly depicts the private world of the seminary and speaks with satire and honesty of its sensuality, oppression and isolation. His protagonist struggles as he did, under the careful scrutiny of the Church’s’ authority, to understand himself, and maintain his faith while trapped behind walls of deceit. When eighteen year-old Marcus is bound by an oath and recruited into a Catholic seminary he discovers nothing is sacred, and everyone has secrets. Fighting for what he believes is right and risking everything to hold onto his own identity, Marcus struggles to save the woman he loves, a friend he respects and an ideal he holds dear. Stories of love are interwoven through shocking encounters, which shake the very foundations of faith and doctrine, by placing human nature in unforgiving surroundings. Unsure who to trust and with damaging secrets to hide Marcus must endure, confess or escape, for the guilty find no sanctuary until they receive judgment.

He has earned the title of one of the most read Hungarian authors with his gripping, exciting, enthralling, subtle – and for this reason more powerful – and occasionally seemingly playful style of writing.

Laszlo Malota was the second child of highly educated poor Jewish and Catholic parents. As a child he showed a startling talent for music. His parents sent him to a music school where he learned to play bassoon, piano, and violin. He went on to win numerous prestigious competitions. His parent’s illness and the unreliability of a career in music forced him to choose a more stable profession. At the age of eighteen he enrolled in the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, where he stayed in a seminary.

Afterwards he worked as an arcade attendant, a teacher for orphans, a bouncer at a nightclub, a personal trainer, and a cultural program manager. In 2002 he ran for representative at a local council as an independent. He won and was awarded the position of vice-president of the medical, social, and housing committee. Outside of literature and classical music, he enjoys sports. He likes boxing, athletics, kayaking, and tennis. He has also run many marathons.

Books:

• Sanctuary of the Guilty
• My Little Late Love
• The Ungodly
• Shame
• The Women in My Life
• The Flavor of Blood
• What I Shouldn’t Talk About
• Innocent Angels
• Nights of Hope
• Joys of Days Gone By
• The last Confession