Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1986 (14. évfolyam, 47-50. szám)

1986 / 47-48. szám

BOOKS (Continued)

it. And if in this essay there is a great deal of breast beating and finger pointing, even that is ultimately to the good; that finger, in a manner of speaking, is still badly in need of being pointed and not only in Hungary. As far as the situation in Hungary is concerned . . . three points should be added [to Bibo’s descriptions] (1) that the government has done a goldmetal job discouraging anti-Semitism and supporting the rebuilding of the Jewish community; (2) that despite this, Hungarian Jewish intellectuals, especially the writers I met in 1979 and 1981, are low key and cautious about the question of Jewish identity, to the point of being concerned that bad times may come again; and (3) that, when all issaid and done, most grass-root Hungarians are as anti-Semitic now as they ever were (even if, under the present regime, they know it is not good policy to show it),” The third section of this volume is devoted entirely to Hungarian-related works. The section begins with M.D. Birnbaum’s 1984 interview with György Konrad, continues with Emery George’s analysis and interpretation of István Eörsi’s “Absurd Documentary Play” which is based in parton a number of interviews made by Eörsi and others in 1971 with the already terminally ill György Lukács, and concludes with Eörsi’s play, “His Master’s Voice”. (Eva V. Huseby-Darvas, U. of Michigan).

DISSERTATIONS*

Kissh, Bela (U. of Maryland, 1984) “The MAORT Operation: A History of the Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) in Hungary, 1938-1948.”430 pages. Microfilm and xerox number DA 8514543.

A multinational American company discovered oil in Hungary in 1937. The flowing wells produced crude oil for Hungary; later, they supplied some of the military needs of Germany and the demands of the Red Army after World War II. On September 20, 1948, a newly formed Communist government nationalized the company, claiming that some American and Hungarian managers had sabotaged production. The decade-long operation of the MAORT left behind intermittent, yet discernible trails in company, government and diplomatic records. In the aggregate these documents preserved the history of MAORT. Discovery of crude deposits, attainment of national self-sufficiency in refined oil products, and friendly cooperation between state and company hallmarked the first half of MAORT’s history. During the war the state sequestered the company and ruinously accelerated exploitation of the fields. Bythe time the American managers had regained control over their company, the Hungarian government was in the midst of expropriating private enterprises. To allow, in the presence of massive Soviet arms, a vital segment of the nation’s socialist economy to remain in private foreign hands was inadmissible. A criminal trial, in which the state’s case rested on confessions of industrial sabotage, provided the means and justification for the expulsion of the American managers, the sentencing to prison terms or death of the Hungarian managers, and the nationalization of MAORT in 1948. □

Hall, John Battaile (New School for Social Research, 1985) “Decentralized Planned Economy: Plan Bargaining in Hung* Abstracts are usually based on those published in Dissertation Abstracts International. Microfilm and zerox 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.

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ary.” 196 pages. Microfilm and xerox no. DA8512647.

This study defines a new planning methodology, plan bargaining, as it arose in negotiations between a Hungarian chemical enterprise and the Hungarian Government over the issue of production of the chemical Olitref. Plan bargaining is seen as a response to Hungarian balance of trade and debt problems, as well as domestic political considerations. Plan bargaining also is seen to represent a significant advance over the theories and practice of economic planning of the Stalinist period. It is argued that plan bargaining, which is a result of a general shift in the Hungarian economy, has implications for economic planning in a far broader context. D

ARTICLES AND PAPERS

Austerlitz, Robert. ÖZVEGY, in Uralisztikai tanulmányok (Uralistic Studies) by Gábor Berecki and Péter Domokos eds. Budapest: Eötvös Lóránt Tudomány Egyetem, 1983. pp. 33-39.

The author has published two studies of linguistic interest, both systematically investigate the origin and historical development of Hungarian words. Focusing attention on the word özvegy the study investigates basic elements, earliest known occurrence and changes in its form and meaning. He argues that the word isof Slavic origin. But even iftheSlavic etymon proposed is unacceptable, the plea made here for a revised approach to traditional etymological methods should stand. Nothing has been said about the presumed period, when this word was borrowed from Slavic. This question must be resolved by Slavists and by students of culture: when did the institution of widowhood begin to play a significant role in early Hungarian society?

The second study by Austerlitz, EHEZIK/KOPLAL/ BÖJTÖL, appeared in the Nyelvtudományi közlemények, vol. 86 (1984), no. 1, pages 132-134. The paper suggests an approach to the clarification of the origin of böjt and böjtöl.The three verbs, as listed in the title, form a semantic series along an axis, which describes an increase in volition. If will (volition) is extracted, then éhzik is completely independent of the individual’s will and böjtöl is completely self-imposed; the middle member (koplal) can mean “suffer hunger, “fast” because of forces from the outside world or because of the subject’s own, personal decision. This component of w/7/also corresponds to the religious connotations of these three verbs: böjtöl is a thoroughly religious term while ehezik is a thoroughly secular; koplal straddles the two. The author is prof, of Ural-Altaic Studies at Columbia University. a

Batkay, William M. reviews Nathaniel Katzburg’s book: Hungary and the Jews: Policy and Legislation, 1920-1943 Ramat-Gam, Israel: Bar I Ian U. Press, 1981. American Historical Review 89:1 (February 1984) p. 166.

This volume joins the growing number of studies of policy toward the Jewish communities. It actually adds little that is new to specialists, but it covers an extraordinary amount of ground with care, sobriety, and considerable sophistication. “Although a bit too detailed and dense for the general reader, the volume makes a convenient summary guide to the most salient Hungarian development readily accessible to specialists in interwar European Jewish affairs who are unfamiliar with this field.” The reviewer is on the faculty of Montclair State College, N.J. □

NO. 47-48, SPRING-SUMMER 1986 HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER