Ballpoint: A Tale of Genius and Grit, Perilous Times, and the Invention that Changed the Way We Write

László Bíró's last name is, in much of the world, a synonym for his revolutionary writing tool. But few people know that Bíró began his career in interwar Budapest as a journalist frustrated with spotty ink; that he escaped fascism by fleeing to Paris and, finally, to Buenos Aires; that a fellow Hungarian, Andor Goy, also played a vital role in the pen's development⎯and that, in a tragic twist of shared fate, business pressures and politics ultimately deprived both men of their rights to the ballpoint pen. Taking us from Hitler's Europe in 1938, to Argentina, where Bíró settled, and to Communist-era Hungary, where Goy lived out his life, Ballpoint is a painstakingly researched, absorbing narrative that reads simultaneously like a work of history and a novel.

György Moldova is one of Hungary's most successful—and prolific—writers, and he is respected in particular for his achievements on the nonfiction front. He has earned the Kossuth Prize, Hungary's most prestigious literary honor, and his work has been translated into many languages, including English, German, Russian, and Chinese. He is the only Hungarian author to have achieved sales of 600,000 copies, and he continues to fare well in the country's bestseller lists to this day. Born in 1934, he lives in Budapest with his family. The author lives in Budapest.

"Mr. Moldova tells this tale of ingenuity and disappointed hopes with considerable verve; his book is a page-turner." ⎯Wall Street Journal

"In terms of history-making inventions, the ballpoint pen is no electric light bulb, but its story is far wilder." ⎯Maclean's (Canada's leading news magazine)

"Ballpoint reads like a fast-paced mystery. Although we know from the start that its technological protagonist⎯the ballpoint pen⎯will triumph, we find ourselves repeatedly surprised by the story's unfolding episodes of international intrigue, financial deception, and legal shenanigans." ⎯Henry Petroski, author of The Pencil and The Essential Engineer

"Part biography, part historical novel, this fascinating book tells the remarkable story of László Bíró and Andor Goy, the two Hungarians who made the first workable ballpoint pen and who, despite the resounding success of their product, earned almost nothing from it."

⎯John Emsley, author of Molecules of Murder and The Elements of Murder

"The tale of László Bíró and Andor Goy … is a wonderful illustration of the role that human passions, foibles, and genius play in shaping the world around us."

⎯Robert Friedel, author of Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty

© 2012 New Europe Books (Ebook): 9780982578179

Translators: David Robert Evans

Release date

Ebook: 21 August 2012