Magyar Hírek, 1984 (37. évfolyam, 2-26. szám)
1984-03-15 / 5-6. szám
ABOUT THIS ISSUE André Kertész’s memories On this occasion I propose to start with a jubilee all of our own which, however, concerns all of us Hungarians, those living abroad as much as those at home: the twentyfifth anniversary of Magyar Hírek. In the spring of 1959 a small bulletin was transformed into a full-size, completely new illustrated journal addressed to a wide public, a paper, which has continued to inform its readers in five continents about the life of Hungary. The present issue includes statements by past and present General Secretaries of the World Federation of Hungarians: Ottó Beöthy, József Kárpáti, Zoltán Szabó, and János Gosztonyi and the editor and staff of this journal tell the story of the beginnings, when after the great 1956—57 exodus it became clear that a new medium was needed, which would speak to the large numbers of Hungarians abroad in the language of friendship and solidarity. These writings will certainly conjure up memories for those, v/ho have been readers of Magyar Hírek for a quarter of a century, at the same time offering valuable information to those readers of the English supplement, who are members of the second and third generations, in an age, when more and more people wish to explore their roots, delving back into the past of their families in the old country. Magyar Hírek, and naturally also the English supplement will continue to serve to maintain and strengthen these ties also in the years to come. * Magyar Hírek, as our readers will most certainly have noticed, tries to offer continuous information on developments taking place in Hungarian economic life as the reforms develop further. In the Hungarian section of this issue Péter János Sós interviews Secretary of State Béla Csikós-Nagy, the President of the National Bureau of Prices and Materials. In my opinion this interview is particularly informative and important. The most competent authority on the subject here informs on prices policy one of the essential elements of the reform. That is that consequent to the measures introduced administrative restrictions gradually give room in the Hungarian economic structure to normative economic factors, and the shaping of prices is increasingly determined by the latter. According to Béla Csikós-Nagy, some 23 per cent of commodities were free-price products in 1960, and 57 per cent of them this year. The greater weight on the economy can be most 60 evenly distributed with the help of prices, and if these have a strong influence on standards of living, this does no more than mirror the situation of our economy. “Many people confuse economic crisis with a crisis in supply, Béla Csikós-Nagy said. They are willing to recognize difficult situations only when the shops are empty. There is no crisis concerning supplies here!” Straightforward, hard words: the Hungarian economic situation is not easy, not without problems. Yet the government intends to solve the problems not by resorting to restrictions or administrative measures but by logically carrying the reform to completion. *The results are already visible in a balanced budget and the international liquidity of the country, as well as in the fact that the shops are full of goods, there is no unemployment, and that the standard of living attained in previous years has been maintained even under worsening international economic conditions. * Of the cultural news reported in the Hungarian part of the paper, an article by János Péter about Hungarian studies will arouse the interest of many of our readers. This discipline, which has already contributed to the documentation of the interactions apparent between Hungarian and world culture, is progressing fast in our time. There is also an illustrated interview with André Kertész, the world famous Hungarian photographer in both sections. André Kertész has been a major influence on the development of this relatively new art for a generation. A few photographs give an idea of his work. Visitors to the coming Spring Festival in Budapest will be able to form a fuller picture of him at an exhibition which André Kertész is coming over to open. Sport which undoubtedly interests many of our readers, has been somewhat neglected in recent issues. We now publish two items of sporting interest in the English supplement. One tells of past Olympic and world champions. The other concerns recent results by Hungarian sportsmen. We would welcome letters from our readers on whether they should like to be kept up-to-date with Hungarian sporting results in future issues. Thank you in advance for your letters and criticism His surname is Hungarian and his first name sounds French. Since 1936 he has been a resident of the US where he published more than twenty books. We publish an interview on p.p. 34—37. of this issue, in Hungarian, since the great photographer spoke his native idiom when our correspondent went to see him in his home. A few passages, in English translation, follow: You lived in Paris between 1925 and 1936, the French however still look on you as one of their own. “Paris accepted me within a short time. Though photography was still pretty primitive their bubbling intellectual life carried me away with its tremendous swing. Henri Rousseau, Ehrenburg, Eisenstein and Chagall all met at the Café de Dome in Montparnasse. My first big series of photographs was about them. I held my first exhibition in 1927. I took photographs for Vogue and the Journal Vu. My first book also appeared in Paris, in 1933. It was called Enfants. Three more of my books were published in France.” Kertész accepted an invitation by Ernie Prince, the manager of the Keystone View Co. to go to America. He worked for them for many years. His international reputation grew apace thanks to his highly individual eye and pioneering work in his art. In 1963 he obtained the Grand Prix at the Venice photographic show. In time he decided not to work for the press anymore but to publish only books. What was your first book in America? “My first small volume was a selection of my photographs exhibited by the Museum of Modern Art. More than twenty of my books have appeared since then. The most important are, I think, Sixty years of photography, J’aime Paris, Washington Square, From my window and Hungarian memories.” Hungarian memories is the latest. What do you reckon, will it be a success? “They printed 15.000 copies. It does not really interest me whether it sells or not. The book is important to me and at least now, grown old, I can do as 1 please. It makes me happy if it even gives pleasure to people.” An André Kertész exhibition will be arranged as part of this year’s Budapest Spring Festival. The aged master of photography, a living classic of his craft, is coming to Hungary on the occasion. JANOS BODNÁR Bust, New York, February 7, 1979 Broken Bench, New York, September 20, 1962
