George Jonas was born on June 15, 1935 in Budapest, Hungary. Without formal education beyond secondary school, he worked in radio broadcasting in Budapest. He emigrated to Canada after the Soviet Union invaded Hungary in November 1956 to suppress a popular revolt. For more than three decades, he was affiliated with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He wrote, produced, and edited dramas and documentary programs including The Scales of Justice. As a newspaper columnist, he worked at The Toronto Sun for 20 years before joining The National Post.
He was the author of over 15 fiction and non-fiction books including Beethoven's Mask, Final Decree, A Passion Observed, Reflections on Islam, and By Persons Unknown: The Strange Death of Christine Demeter written with Barbara Amiel. His book, Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team, was adapted into a television movie entitled Sword of Gideon and a movie entitled Munich. His collections of poetry include The Absolute Smile and Selected Poems, 1967-2011. He also wrote the librettos for two one-act operas by Tibor Polgar. He died on January 10, 2016 at the age of 80.
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