Born in Makó, Hungary in 1939, Peter Lantos endured deportation to Bergen-Belsen in 1944. His father perished there, but Peter and his mother survived, liberated by the US Army near Magdeburg. They escaped Soviet occupation, returning to a Hungary where much of his family had been murdered in the Holocaust – an experience later recounted in his memoir, Parallel Lines. His schooling was disrupted by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. As a student supporter, he faced police brutality and a Communist “blacklist” initially blocking his medical ambitions. Persevering, he graduated in medicine and secured a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship.

In 1968, Lantos arrived in London. Choosing not to return to Hungary due to political, professional, and personal reasons, he defected. The Hungarian regime sentenced him in absentia to 16 months prison and confiscated all his property; he wouldn’t return until Communism fell in 1989. Lantos built a distinguished 34-year career in UK academic medicine, specialising in diseases of the nervous system and gaining international recognition, including election to the Academy of Medical Sciences. After retiring from medicine, he turned to writing. Following the success of Parallel Lines, he published the novel Closed Horizon (2012) and collections of plays: Stolen Lives (2018) and Love and Obsession (2021). 

For over a decade, Lantos has been deeply committed to Holocaust education. He speaks widely, from schools to institutions like Parliament (both UK and Scottish), the Civil Service, and the Metropolitan Police. For this vital work in Holocaust awareness, he was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours. His life bridges profound tragedy, scientific achievement, and dedicated public service.