Benkő Andrea: A Guide to Petőfi Literary Museum (Budapest, 2009)
The Permanent Exhibition
■I THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION The walls were hung with portraits of the leaders of the French Revolution, reminding the poet of his missions. A central theme in Petőfi's great visionary poems was the worldwide struggle for freedom. Once achieved - including the inevitable victims - mankind will be ready to live in an age of 'universal happiness'. On 15th March 1848 Hungary also found its way onto the map of European revolutions. Petőfi had arrived: his National Song [Nemzeti dal] became the song of the revolution march. Our third room shows that important event: the Hungarian bourgeois revolution. Here we can see the contradictions highlighting the fact that Petőfi's Republican attitude came too soon for a people who had lived in a kingdom for 850 years. The Hungarian revolution was the longest fight in Europe. In August 1849 it was only the combined forces of the two great powers of the continent, the Austrian Emperor and the Russian Tsar, that were able to defeat it. Petőfi also turned his words into deeds: he served as an officer during the War of Independence. First as a captain and later as a major. His military documents and sword are reminders of this. He did not live to see the day of surrender: on 31 st July 1849 he went missing near Shigi- şhoara (Shegeshvar/Schassburg) while fleeing after a lost battle. Relics of the final stage of his life, the last painting featuring him, and objects he used during the struggle are exhibited here. The Hungarian people expected to see something like a fairytale miracle: the reappearance and return home of their favourite poet. If you have enjoyed our memorial exhibition, you can read Petőfi's poems in your own language upon your return home. These can be found in large libraries: his poems have been translated into more than 50 languages, which include all the major languages of the world. The producers and organisers would like to thank you for visiting the exhibition. Soma Orlai Petries: Petőfi in Mezőberény (1849) 27
