Véri Dániel (szerk.): A Ferenczy Múzeumi Centrum Évkönyve - Studia Comitatensia 35. (Szentendre, 2017)
Szemle - Milosevits Péter: Szentendre szebb múltja – belülről nézve (Szofrics Pál: Képek Szentendre – és a szerbség – történetéből)
STUDIA COMITATENSIA 35. —A FERENCZY MÚZEUMI CENTRUM ÉVKÖNYVE Péter Milosevits THE SERBIAN PAST OF SZENTENDRE - VIEWED FROM INSIDE (PÁL SZOFRICS: IMAGES FROM THE HISTORY OF SZENTENDRE AND THE SERBS) Pál Szofrics (naBTie Co<t>pi/ifi, Pavle Sofric) was born in 1857 in Szentendre; he studied in Pest and worked as a high school teacher from his thirties in various Serbian cities. He died in Belgrade in 1924. Szofrics released three Serbian publications about his birth town between 1903 and 1910. The writings published in Nis, Serbia were long forgotten until they were republished in Pancevo near Belgrade in Serbia in 1994 and then in 2005. The Hungarian translation published in 2017 in Szentendre follows the full Serbian edition of 2005. There are three separate writings in the book: a historical study, a memoir and an ethnographic essay. In “Episodes from Szentendre’s Past and Present” Szofrics outlines objectively the centuries of written history, but when it comes to describing the Slavic migration, the historian turns into a romantic storyteller. No doubt, the most valuable part of the study is the description of local history; it is an enjoyable, informative read and a useful source for scholarly research. Following the Serbian immigration and settlement to Hungary in 1690, Szofrics focuses on three issues: the church, the school and the socio-economic life. In his “Memories of My Student Life”, the author summarizes his reminiscences of the student years spent in the Serbian school in Szentendre. Horrified, he recalls the “inquisitional” methodologies experienced during his education. He emphasizes that “religion played an important role in our school life”. He depicts a tangible image of the student life; therefore it can also serve as a source for the history of pedagogy. When writing his essay “Christmas Eve and Christmas Traditions in Szentendre”, Szofrics had two objectives: to record the Christmas traditions of Szentendre Serbs and to outline the comparative religious context of the recorded ethnographic material. Meanwhile he cites plenty of songs, prayers, sayings and myths connected to the holiday events. The first Hungarian language edition of Pál Szof- rics’s Szentendre related studies was edited by Eva Ga- ján and published by Pest County Library, an institution that puts a lot of emphasis on preserving local historical values. The excellent endnotes pertaining to the text explain the names, events and expressions most probably unknown to today’s reader. The book is also amended with colorful images: paintings, maps and old photos. 283
