Kati Marton was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1949 and immigrated to the US in the 1950s with her family, in a dramatic escape following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Her experiences as an immigrant from a war-torn and occupied country have influenced her writings and her choice of subjects. She details her family’s story and escape from USSR-occupied Hungary in her autobiographical book, Enemies of the People.

Marton studied political science at the Sorbonne and obtained a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. She worked as a journalist for ABC News and NPR for several decades, focusing on major international events and interviewing political figures. She also published several books, some of which are critically acclaimed. She specializes in writing biographies of political personalities, such as The Chancellor, blending historical context, political analysis, and personal elements into her analysis. Marton’s portrayal of Angela Merkel is informed by her own intimate knowledge of European politics and history.

Angela Merkel was the chancellor of Germany from 2005 until 2021. Merkel was born in 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany. However, she grew up in East Germany, where her parents moved due to her father’s decision to be a pastor in that region.