Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1985 (13. évfolyam, 43-46. szám)
1985 / 46. szám
BOOKS (Continued) The author is professor and Chair of Ukrainian Studies, U. of Toronto. Sozan, Michael. A HATAR KET OLDALAN. (On both sides of the border.) Paris, France: az Irodalmi Újság Sorozata (series of the Irodalmi Újság), distributed by Puski-Corvin, 251 East 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028,1985.143 pages, diagrams, tables, map, biblio, illus. paper. An exceptional volume based on more than two years of field work in two Hungarian speaking villages just 80 miles apart: Felsőőr in eastern Austria and Tap in western Hungary. Both of the villages were parts of the Hungarian Kingdom for about 900 years and were politically separated after World War I when the borders of the Habsburg Monarchy were redrawn. The author, who made his name known in the social sciences by publishing his History of Hungarian Ethnography (University Press of America, 1977. See HSN no. 16, p.4) and several other contributions, compared the two villages in termsof their history, power allocations, economy, social structure, cosmology and traditions. The result is a monograph of an area and a methodology long neglected. We hope for an English translation, soon. The author is prof, of anthropology and sociology at Slippery Rock Univerity, Pennsylvania. Wagner, Francis S. ZOLTÁN BAY, Atomic Physicist, a Pioneer of Space Research. Foreword by Albert Szent-Györgyi. Budapest: Akadémiai kiadó, 1985. 117 pages, illus. $8.50 cloth. This precious and elegant biography, written in the U.S. and published in Hungary, is about one of the most prominent contemporary physicists. Born at Gyulavári, Békés County in 1900, Bay, received his early intellectual inspirations at such schools as the Reformed Gymnasium in Debrecen, and the Pázmány University in Budapest where Loránd Eötvös taught physics. Bay spent four years in Berlin, considered at the time the European center of advanced research in the physical sciences (Naturwissenschaft). After having spent six years in academe (U. of Szeged) and another six at the Tungsram Laboratories in Budapest, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1948, where he carried on his work mostly at the George Washington U., the American U., and the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. Without being indifferent to the idealogical and social issues of the day, he was able to maintain an intellectual bridge with scientific communities on both shores of the Atlantic, and was awarded honorary membership in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The value of the biography is further enhanced by the painstaking effort of the author in trying to accurately describe the broader intellectual settings in which Bay has lived and worked, thereby contributing important data for the history of science. The biography covers the scientific achievements in detail and concludes with a bibiography of Bay’s works. The author retired from the Library of Congress and has written extensively on Hungarian-related historical topics. FÜGGETLEN FORUM (Independent forum); Handwritten Banned Literature (samizdat) in the Carpathian Basin. Comp, and ed. by Zoltán Zsillé, Wien, and the Hungarian Central Committee for Books and Education, Inc., P.O. Box 11027, Cleveland, OH 44111,1985.335 pages, tables, fascimile, illus. $12.00 paper. Ever since it became known that there existed a samizdat IN MEMÓRIÁM Stephen Denis Kertesz 1904-1986 literature in Hungary, potential readers desired access to some of the dissident writings. The fact that this literature was produced in very few copies, and its circulation banned, made access difficult. This compendium of some 80 writings, documents, and other entries was published in response to such demand. The roots of the publication lead back to 1979, when at Lakitelek (near Kecskemet), a good number of young Hungarian writers met and adopted a resolution demanding political and economic reforms, more vigorous policies curbing Hungarian population decline, and restoration of ethnic rights to the Hungarian nationals living in countries adjacent to Hungary. Further evidence of intellectual ferment are the flying universities, i.e., informal meetings in private homes by people who gather and publish the writings of prominent Hungarians regarding democracy in Hungary and aboard. The editors of this volume have tried to gather the views of these different groups and give the reader a feeling of samizdat writings critical of present policies and conditions. VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HUNGARY, SPRING 1985; An Evaluation of the Government in Hungary's Compliance with the Helsinki Accord. Prepared for the Delegates of the Ottawa Human Rights Experts Meeting by the Coordinating Committee of Hungarian Organizations in North America and the Canadian Hungarian Federation. Part I. 37 pages, part II (annexes) 68 pages. For copies write to Dr. István B. Gereben, 4101 Blackpool Road, Rockville, MD 20853. $5.00 paper. According to the documents included in this paper, the Hungarian Government has attained a rather poor record as far as observations of human rights are concerned. These two booklets provide empirical data documenting violations of human rights against the background and the commitments assumed in the Helsinki Final Act. The annexes contain case studies documenting legal and social aspects of three areas of infringements: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of movement. The sources include memoranda, correspondence, translated documentations, samizdat, newspaper accounts and court records. Culture and Freedom in Hungary, Fall 1985 is a similar collection of papers and samizdat reprints prepared for the orientation of the delegates to the Budapest Cultural Forum, held in the summer of 1985. Published by the Coordinating Committee, it contains 15 pages of introductory text and 53 pages of case studies and documentations. Copies are available for $5.00 from I. B. Gereben, above address. DISSERTATIONS* Bonnar, Deanne Emily (Brandeis U., 1985) “When the Bough Breaks: A Feminist Analysis for Female Based Households.” 210 pages. Microfilm and xerox no. DA8509069. (Continued on Page 4) 'Abstracts are usually based on those published in Dissertation Abstracts International. Microfilm and xerox copies of the original full dissertation may be obtained, when indicated, from Xerox University Microfilm 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106. When ordering, use the number shown. NO. 46. WINTER,, 1985-1986, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER 3
