Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1985 (13. évfolyam, 43-46. szám)

1985 / 43-44. szám

BOOKS (Continued)

recipient of a translation fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is engaged in translating Mila'n Fiist’s novel, The Story of My Wife (A feleségem története, 1942).

Fülep, Ferenc. SOPIANAE; the History of Pecs During the Roman Era, and the Problem of the Continuity of the Late Roman Population. Budapest: Akadémiai kiadó, 1984. Distributed in the U.S. by Humanities Press, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716.392 pages, maps, diagrams, tables, 72 plates and 7 supplements, biblio. $56.50 cloth.

Systematic archaeolgical studies of the Roman period of the city of Pécs began in 1955, but early excavations go back to 1726 when a painted Roman burial-chamber came to light in the city. Random finds of the past 150 years have been augmented with data derived from the application of modern archaeological methods. This generously illustrated albumsize volume gives account of the history of the research; provides a description of the Roman city; summarizes the excavation activities; provides a rich source on burial forms and costumes; evaluates the finds in the city of Pécs and in the cemeteries. It also provides an extensive bibliography and other related information which make the volume an enjoyable reading for specialist and generalist alike. The author published extensively on his archaeological work in Pécs. One of his better-known studies is Roman Cemeteries on the Territory of Pécs (Sopianae), published by the author in 1977. Paperback with 64 pages, 50 plates and 2 maps.

Horak, Stephan M. et al EASTERN EUROPEAN NATIONAL MINORITIES, 1919-1980; A Handbook. Libraries Unlimited, P.O. Box 263 Littleton, CO 80160, 1984. xv + 353 pages, tables, biblio. $47.50 in the U.S.; $57.00 elsewhere, cloth.

Not since the publication of Manfred Straka’s Handbuch der europäischen Volksgruppen (Wien: W. Braumüller Universitäts-Verlag, 1970) has there been a more comprehensive monograph on nationalities or ethnic groups in the East Central European theater. The one-volume handbook intends to assist its readers to understand the history and current political dynamics of such groups and introduces researchers with the better-known international resources dealing with the topic. The book addresses the beginning student through the historical summaries, which lead off each chapter, and senior researchers through scholarly annotated bibliographies constituting the second half of each chapter. The introductory essay describes the nationality issue as such. Each subsequent chapter deals with an individual country, providing concise reports on the treatment of nationalities, and a discussion of the political, social, economic, and educational conditions affecting indigenous national minorities during the time frame of the book. The chapter on Hungary (pages 160-189) was written by Martin L. Kovács, prof, of history, U. of Regina, with the assistance of David Crowe. After an all too short introduction Kovács discusses the German, Jewish, Romanian, Slovak, and South Slav minorities. The bibliography moves along parallel lines with the substance of the chapters, i.e., general reference works; general works on nationality groups; Germans and Jews; general reference material and sources on Romanians, Slovaks, South Slavs, Ukrainians. Other chapters in the book make ample references to their Hungarian minorities.

The editor is prof, of history, Eastern Illinois U.

Horak, Stephan M. comp. THE SOVIET UNION AND

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EASTERN EUROPE; A Bibliographic Guide to Recommended Books for Small and Medium-sized Libraries and School Media Centers. Libraries Unlimited, P.O. Box 263, Littleton, CO 80160, 1984. xiv + 373 pages, index. $27.50 in the U.S.; $33.00 elsewhere, cloth.

Bibliographies are essential research tools especially if they focus on regions and areas of the researcher’s concern. This bibliography encompasses 1,555 titles related mainly to the social sciences and the humanities. It is organized into four divisions: “General and interrelated themes from the Soviet Union and East Central European countries;” “The Russian Empire before 1917 and the U.S.S.R.;” "The non- Russian soviet republics, Jews and other people;” and “East Central European countries.” Each division is arranged by subject. Special attention was given to cyclopedic reference works, handbooks, and bibliographies for students seeking less than specialized training. For each entry informative annotation is given, and a list of review sources is also presented. The process of selecting the titles from among some 8,000 books published in English on the principal themes during the past 40 years, had to be arbitrary and confining. Deciding what to leave out from among 8,000 volumes must have been an inordinate task, and consequently some omissions are understandable. More serious is the absence of entire disciplinary areas (e.g., anthropology) though some such works are included under Society and Sociology. In sum, the bibliography constitutes a useful reference work with a healthy potential for use on the undergraduate level.

The compiler is prof, of history at Eastern Illinois U.

Kertesz, Stephen D. BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE WEST; Hungary and the Illusion of Peacemaking, 1945-1957. Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556, 1984. xix + 299 pages, photographs. $20.00 cloth.

Allied political and strategic decisions virtually settled the fate of the Danubian countries well before the end of World War II. This fact was not known in Hungary. “It seemed incredible that after a victorious war the Western powers should allow simply a ‘changing of the guard’, the installation of Soviet domination after German occupation.” The author was the secretary-general of the Hungarian peace delegation in 1947 and participated in every event of the preparations for the conducting of the Paris negotiations. Though Hungary as an ex-enemy state was not a partner at the peace conference, it presented Hungarian views and proposals concerning the future of the Danubian nations. The efforts were in vain. Philip E. Mosely, a member of the American delegation said about the volumes of notes published by the Hungarian government “The general impression left by the three volumes so far published is that the Hungarian government had prepared its case with care on the assumption that the issues would be treated on their merits by the Great Powers, all of them concerned primarily with promoting peace and stability in the Danubian region. In the procedural and substantive tussles of the Paris Conference this assumption proved illfounded. The struggle over the formal terms of the treaty was merely one aspect of a more general effort to extend or confine Soviet power in Europe. In that struggle Hungary had little to hope for and much to fear.” According to Zbigniew Brzezinski, “Kertesz’s study casts new light on an important facet of history.”

The author is prof, emeritus of the U. of Notre Dame.

NO. 43-44, SPRING-SUMMER 1985 HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEW5LETTER