Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1994. [Vol. 2.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 22)
STUDIES - Lehel Vadon: László Országh, the Founder of American Studies in Hungary.
heroes of American democracy: the laborer, the farmer, the negro, and the Indian; expounded the ideals and intellectual desires of the nation and wrote about physical love. In his poetry Whitman soared to become a prophet to lead his nation to the ideal of true democracy, to the promise land of liberty, equality and fraternity by demonstrating the strength and future greatness of his vast country". 7 In The American Drama in the Twentieth Century, Országh retraces the development of the genre and introduces the most significant playwrights. 8 Not only did the 1967 publication of The History of American Literature 9—a synthesis of Országh's scholarly efforts —fill a great void but it remains the first and only Hungarian language comprehensive survey of the three and a half century history of American literature. The author in his vivid and enjoyable style describes the main periods of American history, highlights the social and economic background of the nation's cultural and literary development, and provides an aesthetically refined introduction to the notable writers and their achievements. While in its form Országh's book is a work devoted to the popularization of science —thereby serving an informative purpose —the author's vast knowledge, scholarly preparedness, lucid, logical arrangement of data, reliable informational background, comprehensive bibliography, and the authentic portrayal of writers and social, cultural, and historic trends make it a significant scholarly achievement. Országh's work is an indispensable reference book for researchers, university teachers, college students, and the general public alike. " The History of American Literature stimulates readers' interest and inspires researchers not only by its subject's novelty in Hungary, but by the author's culturally and historically founded lucid and balanced descriptions 7 lüszló Országh, afterword, Leaves of Grass , by Walt Whitman (Budapest: Magyar Helikon, 1964) 711—722. Q ° László Országh, "Az amerikai dráma a huszadik században," [= The American Drama in the Twentieth Century. 1 Nagyvilági (1966): 1069—1076. 9 Iászló Országh, Az amerikai irodalom története 1= The History of American Literature.] (Budapest: Gondolat Könyvkiadó, 1967) 433 pp. 146
