The return of emigrants to their respective native country after 1945 was an important event both in Germany and in Hungary. Although the Communist Party played a major role in everyday life in both Hungary and the Soviet-Occupied Zone after 1945, the conditions for political and cultural development were different in the two countries. In the Soviet-Occupied Zone in East Germany, cultural life had to rebuilt from scratch after 1945; in Hungary, it was more of a transformation of existing cultural institutions. Even though the transition took longer in Hungary, by 1950 a more or less similar political and cultural structure of Soviet build had been established in both.This volume compares the relationship of the two countries to modern literary tradition, the cultural-political institutions and the debates that went on among writers after 1945. The two remigration groups from the Soviet Union are showcased based on the fates of a few select intellectuals.