Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1979 (7. évfolyam, 19-22. szám)
1979 / 19-20. szám
Fekete, Márton, ed., PROMINENT HUNGARIANS: HOME AND ABROAD. Third edition. Szepesi Csombor Literary Circle. Distributed by Fehe'r Hollo' Press, 3 Back Lane, London N.W.3., 1979. 548 pages. £6.00 (No. 3 in the English Series.) This current edition of Fekete’s Hungarian “Who’s Who” contains 4599 biographical entries of prominent Hungarians living both in Hungary and abroad, including 722 biographies from the U.S. (266 university professors). An essential reference tool for librarians and scholars engaged in research on current affairs. Gárdos, Miklós ed., HUNGARY 78; A Yearbook. Budapest: Pannónia Press, 1978. 239 pages, charts, tables, illust. $5.60 paper. This is the current volume of a series which commenced in 1966. It is a general survey of events and people who made news in the previous year (or years). Permanent features include events of domestic policy and diplomacy; list of names of high ranking functionaries of party, mass organizations, and government; persons having received distinctions; diplomatic representations in other countries; and brief biographical sketches of outstanding Hungarian personalities. This year’s issue also contains reports of economic nature, labor safety and labor contract, taxation, sociological research, adult education, to mention just a few. This is not a scholarly tome, but rather a popular publication of the government for foreign consumption. Gyimesy Kasas, Ernest and Leslie L. Könnyű eds., PROFESSIONAL HUNGARIAN ARTISTS OUTSIDE OF HUNGARY. American Hungarian Review, 5410 Kerth Road, St. Louis, MO 63128, in cooperation with the World Federation of Hungarian Artists, 1977. 264 pages, plates. $7.50 paper; $10.00 cloth. The World Federation of Hungarian Artists (1963) traces its history back to the American Hungarian Art Association (1957) and its membership comprises 430 artists out of the 1042 Hungarian artists recognized outside of Hungary. The volume presents concise biographies and sample pictures in good quality black and white plates. The emphasis is on those living in the 20th century, but some deceased artists are also included. In general it is an attractive volume, though we regret that the editors did not find it necessary to add diacritical marks to Hungarian words and to proper names (except for Albert Dürer). Gyimesy Kasas is an accomplished artist and scholar; Könnyű is a writer and cultural historian. Haraszti, Endre, ORIGIN OF THE RUMANIANS (Vlach Origin, Migration and Infiltration to Transylvania.) Danubian Press, Astor, FL 32002. 76 pages, maps, biblio. $5.00 paper. The author, who has published a larger volume (The Ethnic History of Transylvania, Danubian Press, 1971) which seeks to dispel common ignorance among English speaking readers about Transylvania, now concentrates on the history of the Romanian people and on related theories. He identifies two prevalent theories: according to one the Romanians migrated from the southern parts of the Balkan Peninsula to the area between the Carpathian Mountains and the lower Danube; while other historians hypothesize .that the Romanians are cultural, if not genetic, heirs of the Romans who occupied Dacia and withdrew after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The unresolved controversy does not hinder political activists to use one or the other argument in the pursuit of imperialistic objectives. According to the author, the Romanians show greater skill in this respect than the Hungarians, while the Transylvanians feel that neither theory solves their problem or alleviates their plight. The author quotes G. Zathureczky (Transylvania, Citadel of the West, Anderson Hall Research Center, U. of Florida, “Problems Behind the Iron Curtain Series No. 1.” 1963) in his earlier volume, who may suggest some motivation for the controversy. “If you had been born in Transylvania, you would not yet have to be fifty years of age and your citizenship status would have already been changed three times, without you ever leaving the town or village of your birth. You have been ’liberated’ under different flags, or different party slogans, five times and each time under the pressure of an outside power which knew nothing about your problems and could not care less." The author is a historian who lives in Hamilton, Ontario. Editor’s note: it is a pity that the printer failed to make appropriate efforts to put diacritical marks on Hungarian and Romanian words. It is also regrettable that the copy editor of the volume left the text with a considerable number of imperfections. Haraszti, Miklós. A WORKER IN A WORKER’S STATE. Translated by Michael Wright and introduced by Heinrich Boll. Universe Books, 381 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, 1978. 175 pages. $7.95 cloth. This is a first-hand account of the author’s experience gathered while working at the Red Star Tractor Factory near Budapest. By concentrating on the drudgery of factory life, he describes the competition between workers, and the alienation that it causes. According to Boll's foreword the book “Maps out all the details, all the by-ways and twists and turns of the painful journey between work and pay-packet.” The original manuscript was entitled Darabbér (Piece- Rates) emphasizing the incentive system which plays a central role in factory work. The manuscript was considered “liable to provoke hatred of the state” by the authorities and was not published in Hungary. The present version contains, in addition to the author’s account of participant observation, a 7-page biography and a 16-page transcript of his trial in 1973 for writing the book. The author is a poet and a political activist in Hungary. Hegedűs, András, THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIALIST SOCIETY. Constable & Co., 10 Orange Street, London WC2H7EG, 1977. 230 pages, tables, notes. £ 3.50 cloth. This handsome volume is an English translation of two Hungarian works: A szocialista társadalom struktúrájáról (The Structure of Socialist Society) published in 1966, and Változó' Világ (Changing World) published on changes in the rural scene in 1970. Both of these volumes were published by Akade'miai Kiadó. This combined volume offers an insight into the workings of a modern communist society from a sociological point of view. The first part of the book deals mainly with an analysis of social stratification on a crosssocietal basis and is not uncritical about some Marxist- Leninist views. The second half concerns itself with actual cases of change in the rural setting. The study is well documented and covers historical accounts as well as close scrutiny of socialist policy in agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization, not overlooking the social consequences in NO. 19-20, 1979, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER 3
