The Smell of Humans: A Memoir of the Holocaust in Hungary

Erno Szép

1945

The Jewish Question

One of the comrades on sick call had a chat with an army guard. This is the account he gave:

“How stupid can you get, I ask you, what are the limits of human stupidity! This soldier was telling me that it was an ugly thing the Jews were doing in Budapest; he’s heard they go up on rooftops at night to signal to the bombers where…

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Creator Bio

Erno Szép

1884–1953

Erno Szép was born to a poor family in Huszt, present-day Ukraine. He began writing poetry at an early age and worked as a journalist, first in Debrecen, then in Budapest, embracing the Hungarian language and culture. Szép’s poetry was influenced by French symbolists. His plays continue to be performed in Hungary. His The Smell of Humans: A Memoir of the Holocaust in Hungary describes his own experiences as a Jew under the fascist regime in Hungary. Under the ensuing communist regime, Szép was marginalized and died in poverty.

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