On September 24, 2021, Blinken OSA hosted the Swedish Academy member, prominent writer and former investigative journalist Ingrid Carlberg, who was staying in Budapest at the invitation of the Swedish Embassy. Guests also included Katarina Szécsi Åsbrink (Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission), Andreas Attorps (Economic Policy and Trade Officer), and László Upor (former Rector-Elect of SZFE, currently the member of the Freeszfe Association).
Before giving a seminar to Freeszfe students, Ingrid Carlberg met István Rév, Director of Blinken OSA, who gave her and the accompanying Swedish Embassy guests a short introduction into our institution, including a presentation about the Yellow Star Houses project and an earlier cooperation with the Swedish Embassy on Second Life, recreating the former Budapest office of Raoul Wallenberg.
During the seminar, Ingrid Carlberg talked briefly about her book written about Raoul Wallenberg, published now in Hungarian as well. She also addressed the issue of individual heroism during exceptional historical times. Students asked questions about her experience writing her book, about the changing perception of Raoul Wallenberg since the Second World War and whether her book had an impact on it, and about her decision to become, from an investigative journalist, a writer.