Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1982 (10. évfolyam, 31-34. szám)
1982 / 34. szám
ARTICLES & PAPERS (Continued) including the upgrading of parliament, the encouragement of the press to play a more critical role in uncovering abuses, the trade union right to veto certain management decisions and generally the acceptance of some interest group politics.” The legacy of 1956 defined the perimeters of change, to begin with, and by the mid-1970s recentralization curbed the process of change considerably. Failure of the Polish experiment in the pluralization of a communist system was in part responsible for apathy, cynicism, and lack of commitment to the system among the new generation. Increasingly, the country will be exposed to the dilemma of meeting the demands of its foreign creditors while satisfying domestic consumers. A major change in the political leadership may evoke a genuine crisis of unpredictable dimensions. The author believes that the factors which made for relative stability can no longer betaken for granted. In developing his thesis he investigates economic strategies, dynamics of the Party, nationalism, religion, opposition, corruption, poverty, and concludes and discusses alternative strategies of political and economic development. The author, a specialist writer and broadcaster on East European affairs, is also a lecturer at the London School of Economics and at the U. of London. □ MISCELLANEOUS Hotter (Mrs.) Rezső and Mária Orvos eds. KÜLFÖLDI MAGYAR NYELVŰ KÖNYVEK 1961-1970, 1. Csechszlovákia. (Hungarian Books Abroad 1961-1970, 1. Czechoslovakia). Microfiche bibliography published by the information section of the National Széchényi Library, 1981. 12 microfiche sheets, 582 entries. The Széchényi Library began issuing a series of microfiche packages on Hungarian books published outside of Hungary between 1961 and 1970. The first package contains a bibliography of Hungarian books published in Czechoslovakia, to be followed by similar issues on books published in Romania and Yugoslavia. It is planned to expand the program and include other countries of the area, but the extension of the publication program beyond the present time span is not contemplated. □ Miklós Kontra reviewed Andrew Kerek’s Bibliography of Hungarian Linguistic Research in the United States and Canada, published by the Hungarian Research Centerof the American Hungarian Foundation, in 1979. The review appeared in Acta Linguistics 29 (1979) 375-6, and says that “despite its minor weaknesses, this booklet is an important research tool. Yet, as it will soon be outdated, it is to be hoped that similar compilations will follow periodically, either in the series Hungarian Research Shelf, or elsewhere.” Editor's Note: An updated addendum prepared by Andrew Kerek is available upon request from AHF. □ Our attention was called to a number of quasi-professional organizations (academies, foundations, centers, etc.) representing various groups of immigrants with Hungarian professional background and concentrated in the U.S. and Canada. These organizations at times produce data which can be of interest to academic researchers even if the presentations are not up to academic standards or not in the main line of contemporary scholarly thought. Such organizations usually arrange periodic conferences and publish proceedings of meetings, in addition to publishing books on Alexander Nekam Géza Teleki, Sr. 1905-1982 1911 - 1983 Hungarian-related subjects reflecting their principal areas of interest (Hungarian ethnicity, Transylvania, select topics of Hungarian history and culture, etc.). Most of the publications are in Hungarian attempting to influence the thinking of Hungarian readers the world over. More recently, English language publications were also produced. In the following, we report briefly on three such organizations. The Árpád Academy of Science, Literature, and Art, a Cleveland, Ohio - based institution founded and maintained for the past 17 years by János Nádas, his sister Rózsa, and their brother Gyula, published a volume on the history of the Academy and on the activities of its members. Edited by Ferenc Somogyi, Az Árpád Akadémia tagjainak tevékenysége. (The Activities of the Members of the Arpad Academy) contains the biographies of 408 scholars, writers, and artists, as well as bibliographies of their works. The language of the volume is Hungarian, but a foreword appears in English, French, German, and Spanish. The volume may be obtained by sending a check or money order for $25 to the Hungarian Association, 1450 Grace Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44107. The Rákóczi Foundation (P.O. Box 67, Stn. “L”, Toronto, ON M6E 4Y4) is a voluntary agency devoted to the preservation and popularization of Hungarian heritage. Chartered in both, the U.S. and Canada in 1976, the foundation promotes Hungarian studies, research, symposia, and more recently the publication of English language books related to Hungary and Hungarians. (As an example, see the review of A T. Komjáthy’s book on page 6 of this issue.) On September 18, 1982, the foundation arranged a one-day symposium on the role of Hungarian heritage outside of Hungary. The symposium which was held concurrently with the Third Hungarian World Congress, was chaired by Nicholas Korponay, president of the foundation. The following themes were discussed: (a) heritage, its meaning and justification for preservation; (b) language and ethnic origin; (c) ethnic culture and Canadian identity; (d) development of young ethnic talents; (e) the role of youth organizations. The results of the foundation’s essay competition were announced. Accordingly, the following prizes were awarded: Szabolcs Páldeák, Detroit ($1,500); Gábriel Földváry, Sydney ($1,000); (Mrs.) Haynal, nee Susan Keserű, Buenos Aires ($500); Zrínyi Youth Organization, Buenos Aires ($500); and Andrew Zsigmond, Toronto ($500). The Hungarian Data Center (1135 The Strand, Reno, NE 89503) is a nonprofit educational group, recently chartered in the state of Nevada for the purpose of collecting and distributing data on Hungary and the Hungarians and to assist the understanding of Hungarian culture. President is Endre Halacsy who plans to include publications of scarce data facilitating research. □ The most recent issue of HIS-Press-Service (Wien) discusses the potential effects of an educational reform which introduces the 5-day school week. The reform will take effect in the 1982/83 school year, and according to HIS, will have an adverse effect on religious education. HIS states that in the 1979/80 academic year, when 1 million young Roman Catholics were eligible for religious education, only some 5% have taken advantage of it. How many received religious education in homes is not known. It is feared, because schools have to 6 NO. 34, WINTER 19Ő2-Ö3, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER
