Reflections of Twentieth Century Hungary: A Hungarian Magnate's View

Baron Moric Kornfeld (1882-1967) was a prominent Hungarian industrialist, large-estate owner, and philanthropist. He was also an intellectual and active participant in public affairs. He served in the Upper House of parliament and during the 1920s, was an influential supporter of Prime Minister Count Istvan Bethlen's "reformconservative" policies.

He was instrumental in the establishment of the conservative highbrow periodical Magyar Szemle, to which he contributed. He was also a major financial supporter of the anti-German and antifascist daily, the Magyar Nemzet. He recognized the need for the creation of a positive image for Hungary in the West and for this reason he was a backer of the English-language intellectual journal, the Hungarian Quarterly-still in publication, and the Nouvelle Revue de Hongrie.

Following the German occupation of the country and the Nazi-backed extreme-right Arrow Cross Party takeover in 1944, Baron Kornfeld was taken to the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp. In return for permitting the Nazis to assume administration of his family's vast industrial enterprises, he and his family were allowed to leave for Portugal. Following the war his holdings were nationalized and he never returned to Hungary. He died in emigration in Washington, D.C.