Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1982 (10. évfolyam, 31-34. szám)

1982 / 31-32. szám

in HSN no. 23, p. 5; and no. 27 p. 5, and several of his essays in other HSN issues.

The editor is prof, of history at the U. of Illinois, Urbana.

Ingrao, Charles W. IN QUEST AND CRISIS: Emperor Joseph I and the Habsburg Monarchy. Purdue U. Press, South Campus Courts - D, West Lafayette, IN 47907, 1979. 278 pages, maps. $12.95 cloth.

Some 270 years ago, Emperor Joseph I (1703-1711) fell victim to a smallpox epidemic after only eight years of reign. His years on the Habsburg throne were characterized by sweeping political and fiscal reforms and victories on battlefields. Nevertheless, he failed to receive due attention from historians, who treated his reign "as nothing more than a chapter in the complex ch ronology of the War of the Spanish Succession.” The fact that no thorough biography of Joseph I existed until the publication of this study, is the more remarkable because his conquest of Italy and his subsequent policies laid the foundation for 150years of Habsburg rule in the peninsula. His position toward the rebellion of Prince Francis Rákóczi II “played a major role in recovering all of Hungary for the dynasty. Although hedied barely two weeks before the final suppression of the revolt, the compromise that he had devised [Peace of Szatmár] for the Magyar nation was destined to stand as a landmark in the evolution of Austro-Hungarian relations until the end of the monarchy.” The treatment of kuruc rebellion, which together with various epidemics decimated the population of Hungary (85,000 died in battle, 410,000 from diseases), is fair and extensive, devoting a subchapter to each of the following: Joseph’s search for peace; the Trnava (Nagyszombat) peace talks led by Miklós Bercsényi; decisions made by the Szécseny and Ónod diets; and military victory and political compromise. The book is organized topically rather than chronologically, in order to focus on the broader setting and its contemporary issues and events.

The author is assist, prof, of history at Purdue U.

Irving, David. UPRISING! Hodder and Stoughton, Mill Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent, Great Britain, 1981. 628 pages, maps, illus., notes, biblio. £13.50 cloth.

The 25th anniversary of the 1956 uprising brought about an abundance of writings. Nevertheless, the full story had not been told until Uprising! This is a fully and thoroughly documented history of those fateful days by an author who invested years of research and extensive travel to track down surviving actors and eyewitnesses for authentic information. I n h is effort to f uI ly document the events, he gai ned access to previously closed files relating to the role of the CIA, Radio Free Europe, and other agencies. He questioned such participants in Moscow as the commander of the Soviet troops sent into Hungary from the Ukraine. In Toronto he interviewed Budapest’s police chief of thefateful days, and in Hungary he talked to surviving witnesses of key events providing him with a wealth of new data. He talked to men who were tried with Imre Nagy and to members of his family. He gathered data on such leading figures as Joseph Dudás whose role has been hitherto neglected. By relating each phase of the events to the reactions of Western powers and of the United Nations, the author succeeded in putting grassroots events into an international perspective. He also tackled the delicate question of the role of anti-Semitism as one of the causes of popular discontent. “The result is a compelling autopsy of a failed rebellion,” that is an essential

NO. 31-32, SPRING-SUMMER, 1982 HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER

reading for students of European history, social dynamics, international relations, Eastern Europe, and a must for any Hungarianist.

The author is a writer whose The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s War, The Destruction of Dresden, and Rommel established him firmly among European historians. Lewanski, Richard C. comp., EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA/SOVIET UNION: A Handbook of West European Archival and Library Resources. Foreword by Paul L. Horecky. K.G. Saur, 45 North Broad Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450,1980. xv + 317 pages. $60.00 cloth.

This bibliographic guide on West European resources pertaining to East European studies is a useful research tool. It is actually a companion volume to P.L. Horecky’s East Central and Southeast Europe: A Handbook of Library and Archival Resources in North America (see: HSN no. 13, p. 2- 3) and tells the reader what is available, where, and how it can be used. Alike its North American companion, it lists printed and handwritten records preserved in libraries, archives, and other European centers of research. After listing general bibliographies and Union Catalogs in card form, the guide covers the resources in 22 West European countries and concludes with a subject index, without which the volume would have been of limited utility. There are some 78 references under various Hungary-related entries. Under the name of each country institutions are listed by geographical areas (cities) with accurate mail addresses and the names of institutional heads, librarians, and archivists. This is followed by a brief description of the collection, photocopying and telex facilities, information services, and business hours. Use of the volume should greatly reduce time and effort invested in planning of East European research.

The compiler is associated with the Institute of Slavic Philology at the U. of Pisa, Italy.

Malyusz, Edith Császár, THE THEATER AND NATIONAL AWAKENING. (Trsl. from an unpublished manuscript “A színház szerepe a nemzeti öntudat szolgálatában” by Thomas Szendrey.) Hungarian Cultural Foundation, P.O. Box 364, Stone Mountain, GA 30086, 1980. xiii + 349 pages, biblio. $19.00 paper. No.12. in the SUNY Coll, at Buffalo’s Program in East European and Slavic Studies Publications. Distributed by Monograph Publishing, Carrollton Press, 1011 Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.

Literature and drama in a culture serve to communicate contemporary political and social thoughts in any given time and place. In the 18th century, the Hungarian theater as well as its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, conveyed the ideas of the Englightenment to a point where Voltaire felt justified to refer to them as rivals of the pul pit. A characteristic feature of the European theater evolution was the establishment of national theaters, representing the “official” stage for the expression of national aspirations. The founding of the Hungarian National Theater at Pest in 1837 underlined these aspirations by its plays and by the use of the Hungarian language. This volume skillfully describes the socio-political significance of theatrical development, emphasizing the role of the national theater in the evolution of national consciousness and in a crosscultural context involving the Austrian, Czech, and Hungarian scenes. While focusing on socialhistorically significant aspects, the author was able to present her study in the cultural context of these peoples,

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