Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1978 (6. évfolyam, 16-18. szám)

1978 / 18. szám

HUNGARIAN

STUDIES

NEWSLETTER

BOOKS

Ady, Endre. THE EXPLOSIVE COUNTRY: A Selection of Articles and Studies 1898-1916. Budapest. Corvina Press, 1977. (Selected by Erzsebe't Veze'r; translated and annotated by G.F. Cushing.) 333 pages. $3.80 paper.

Ady has not received English language publicity commensurate with the impact his writings had on reforms and reformers of his day. Most publications were translations of or essays about his poetry. This is the first major translation which concentrates on his journalistic writings. His articles were problem-oriented, focusing on many of the economic, political, and social ills of his time. He spent years in Paris but never set foot on Great Britain or the United States. He was a lonely giant. He had few friends but he inspired many of his contemporaries, such as Z. Kodály, B. Bartók, and G. Lukács. This volume presents selected essays with indices of Hungarian titles and names of persons. A foreword written by G.F. Cushing points out that America, by absorbing thousands of Hungarian immigrants who left their country because of adverse social and economic conditions, actually resolved or at least postponed a serious crisis for Hungary. Connor, Walter D. and Zvi Y. Gltelman, PUBLIC OPINION IN EUROPEAN SOCIALIST SYSTEMS. Praeger Publishers, 383 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017,1977.197 pages, notes. $16.95 cloth. In the Praeger Special Studies series.

After a general introductory chapter by Gitelman on the role of public opinion in communist political systems, four chapters deal with the emergence of public opinion polling in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Soviet Union, followed by a concluding chapter by Connor assessing the impact of polling and speculating on the reaction of the regimes to the findings. He asserts that since communist states have shown “impressive stability” during the past 30 years, they may continue to apply a mix of coercion and accommodation to surmount difficulties. The chapter on Hungary was written by Robert Blumenstock, an Assoc. Prof, of Sociology at McMaster U., Hamilton, Ontario. Hesaysthat the study of public opinion is not without problems, but has nevertheless been cultivated with growing intensity. What is noteworthy is that the sources from which data are to be obtained are the working classes. “However, the definition of what attitudes and opinions ought to be and the decision as to how best to generate these responses are in the hands of a select few.” Studies completed to date, show a lack of interest in politics as against more intensive knowledge of economic issues. “The public policy of creating a rationally ordered society continues with public opinion research showing, if nothing else, that at the moment no political interests are

developing to disrupt what has been achieved to date.”

Reviewer’s note: It is regrettable that Praeger, the publisher of many excellent volumes of Hungary-related studies, returned to omitting diacritical marks in Hungarian words, after having abandoned this damaging habit for a while. We hope that Praeger will correct this deficiency once and for all. We are especially perplexed by such words as "felnottevalas,” “Szecsko"Bekes," "foberlok "gondolatcserét." D

COMECON: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS. Brussels: NATO-Directorate of Economic Affairs (Series No. 6): 1110 Brussels, Belgium, 1978. 281 pages, charts, tables. N.p. paper.

In the framework of a symposium, held by the Economic Affairs Directorate of NATO in cooperation with its Information Directorate, the dynamics of COMECON were discussed in March 1977. COMECON comprises about 10% of the world’s population and has a labor force of some 175 million people. It claims to account for over one third of the world’s aggregate industrial output. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the 1970s, COMECON has been faced with a number of serious economic problems and consequently with declining growth rates. Twelve authors (who presumably participated in the symposium of 1977) discuss the intensitity of integration among COMECON countries, trade patterns, supra-national economic organizations, living standards, external relations, and the future and Soviet influence. It is concluded that a slowdown of labor force expansion and in growth of capital stock, may well lead to a further substantial deceleration in growth during the 1980s.

Hnik, Thomas ed. EUROPEAN BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOVIET, AST EUROPEAN AND SLAVONIC STUDIES. Vol. I (1975).

Centre for Russian and East European Studies, U. of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, Birmingham B15 2TT. Great Britain. 437 pages. $12.00 paper.

This is the first and an experimental volume of a new bibliography comprising European publications in English, French, German, and the languages of the USSR and Eastern Europe. The volume concerns itself with the Soviet Union and the eight Communist countries of Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on the social sciences and arts; material related to science and technology has been included only where relevant to political, economic, and social life. Out of a total of 3,961 entries, 1,448 are of British origin, 1,385 of French, and 1,128 of German. The editor and compilers hope to improve future volumes and would welcome any suggestions aimed at achieving this purpose. Write to Mr. Thomas Hnik, Main Library, U. of Birmingham, P.O. Box363,