Editions

Fever at Dawn

Fever at Dawn

'Dramatic, compassionate and deeply moving.' Jennifer Clement, author of award-winning novel PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN

'A magnificent novel, tonally flawless, its humour defiant in the face of vast tragedy.' Joan London, author of GILGAMESH, THE GOOD PARENTS and THE GOLDEN AGE

The No.1 European Bestseller

In an over-crowded hospital ward in the sweltering summer of July 1945, Miklos is propped up against a pillow. He is writing a letter of hope.
It doesn’t matter that Miklos is bruised and battered, that his skin shares the same colour as a greying pile of ash, or that the doctor told him "You have six months to live". Because, now, for the first time since the war, he feels truly alive.

Miklos is thinking of things far more important than his health.

He is thinking that he would like to find a wife...

Reviews

  • "An incredible gem of a novel, based on a true story. I loved it."

    LAURA BARNETT, bestselling author of The Versions of Us

  • "A magnificent novel, tonally flawless, its humour defiant in the face of vast tragedy."

    Joan London, author of GILGAMESH, THE GOOD PARENTS and THE GOLDEN AGE

  • "Dramatic, compassionate and deeply moving."

    Jennifer Clement, author of award-winning novel PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN

  • "Powerful"

    Mail on Sunday

  • "A riveting and high-spirited journey from the brink of death toward life...With courage, humor, and unfailing emotional honesty, Peter Gardos illuminates the incredible power of the human will."

    Julie Orringer

About the Author

Peter Gardos

PETER GARDOS is an award-winning Hungarian film director. FEVER AT DAWN is his first novel and is based on the true story of how his father fell in love with his mother after the horrors of the Belsen concentration camp.

Peter Gardos

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience.

For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Strictly Necessary

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. See More.

Analytics

Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. See More.

Preferences & Features

Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit. See More.

Targeting / Advertising

Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. See More.