Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1977 (5. évfolyam, 13-15. szám)
1977 / 14. szám
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS We salute Istva'n Futaky, who began publishing FINNISCHUNGARISCHE MITTEILUNGEN with the help of the Helmut Buske Verlag in Hamburg, Germany. The first issue, which appeared in March 1977 contains a foreword and two more pieces by Futaky, one on Finno-Ugric archival research in Germany, and one about the development of color terms in the Finno-Ugric languages. Another Hungarian-related article is authored by János Pusztay, writing on his journey to the Cheremis in 1976. □ Persons concerned with genealogical research of Hungary may be interested to know that most genealogical data is also available in the U.S. It was microfilmed by the researchers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Records of over one billion people from 35 countries are stored in Granite Mountain Records Vault near Salt Lake City. The church's Genealogical Society at 50 EastN. Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, began its activities in 1894. Hungary was the first country in Eastern Europe to have cooperated with the Mormons. With the assistance of the Hungarian National Archives, the genealogical records of Hungary now comprise some 300 volumes and 10,600 microfilm rolls, each 100 feet long. The records are church registries, public documents, draft rolls, trials of nobility, tax records, etc. from 1700 on. The society does not conduct research for individuals, but will answer queries at headquarters and at more than 200 branch libraries around the United States. See your telephone book. □ Lajos Vincze, Assoc. Prof, of sociology and anthropology at Bowling Green U. returned from 6 months of field work in Transylvania. Sponsored by the exchange program of the Natl. Academy of Sciences, he studied the pastoral culture of Hungarians and Romanians. Before his return, he gave a lecture (in Romanian) at the Romanian Academy of Sciences. □ IN MEMÓRIÁM EDMUND VASVARY October 18, 1888 - July 12,1977 George Kelemen, MD and 86 years of age, decided to donate his extensive library on animal communication to the Dept, of Psychology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The library is now in process of being transferred to Hungary. □ Dieter P. Lotze, Prof, of German at Allegheny Coll., Meadville, Penna., has been invited to contribute a section on Imre Madách to a study of Hungarian literature in the European context, now under preparation by the HAS and the Institute for Literary Studies in Budapest. □ Louis Korda (371 Rutland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666) is a collector of antique maps of Hungary, and is looking for likeminded cartography buffs with whom he could correspond and trade. □ The Washington Star (March 13, 1977) carried an interview with playwright István Örkény on the eve of the premiere of his play Catsplay. Anotherof his plays, The Toth Family, had a successful run a few years earlier. The interview may be of interest to social scientists and humanists. □ It is against our editorial policy, regrettable as it is, to review other than English language publications. Only seldom do we make exceptions and mainly do we on the basis of anticipated reader interest. Thus we report briefly of Ernest M. Töttösy and Francis Dessart, eds. HONGRIE 1956-1976: (Continued on page 7) RESEARCH IN PROGRESS (Continued) Capt. R. Ivany, (Dept, of History, U.S. Military Academy), is working on his dissertation "The Hungarian Emigrés in Europe, 1854-1867; Kossuth and Other Emigres Activities with the Western Powers against the Habsburg Empire.” Completion is planned for 1979. □ Rose Stein, (560 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027), is engaged in an oral history project concentrating on (a) reminiscences by or about Hungarian personalities who had a special impact on U.S. culture, and (b) historical reminiscences. □ Bela Vassady Jr., who is Assoc. Prof, of History at Elizabethtown Coll., PA 17022, is contemplating to write studies on L. Ujházy, New Buda, and Kossuth, Pa. Anthony Endrey, Q.C. (Owen Dixon Chambers, 205 William Street, Melbourne 3000, Australia) has just completed another of his books, “The Holy Crown of Hungary." (To be reviewed in the next issue of the HSN.) □ István Fodor, (Institut für Afrikanistik, Köln U., 5 Köln 41, Albertus-Mangus-Platz, West Germany), is writing a book on a biography of László' Magyar and the history of Umbundu. It will be the first historical-philological description of a Bantu language based on Magyar’s research. Magyar (1818-1864) was a scientist and explorer, whose name is well known among African explorers of the 19th century. Born at Szombathely, he lived in Angola from 1849 until his death, and married King Kayangula’s daughter from whom he had two children. When his book, incorporating some 500 Umbundu words and a draft syntax appeared in Hungary in 1859, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences invited him to membership. Fodor gave a preview of some details of his upcoming book in a lecture delivered at the 8th Conference on African Linguistics at the U. of California, Los Angeles, in April 1977, underthetitle "The UseofL. Magyar’s Records forthe History of Umbundu." □ An extensive study of the relationship between the aging person, his family, and the ethnic community is being conducted by a group of scholars at the Catholic U. in Washington, D.C. Involved are eight ethnic groups: Estonians, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Jews, Latvians, Lithuanians, and Poles. Principal invetigator is David Guttmann, assisted by Richard Kolm. The Hungarian portion of the project is directed by Louis Varga, Research Assistant. For information write to the above c/o School of Social Service, Catholic U., Washington, DC 20064. □ 6 NO. 14, 1977 HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER
