Lendvai Tímár Edit (szerk.): Germanus Gyula. A tudós és az ember (Érd, 2009)
Angol összefoglaló
1 l The Scholar and the man The Legacy of Gyula Germanus in the Hungarian Geographical museum This year we commemorate the 125th anniversary of Gyula Germanus's birth and the 30th anniversary of his death. On the occasion of this double anniversary the Hungarian Geographical Museum considers it his significant task to display the inheritance of Germanus, preserved in the archives of the museum, and to make it more known to the profession and the public as well. Germanus's popular books make his life-work well known for many; and the scholarly activities of the outstanding orientalist are also researched from many sides. However, Germanus as a university teacher, as a scholarly mentor, his system of connections with the scientific study of geography - in brief, Germanus the man - have never been presented in any exhibition in Hungary before. The legacy, preserved in the Hungarian Geographical Museum, is a collection reflecting a number of new or lesserknown aspects of Germanus's life, from both an academic and a personal perspective, among others Germanus's articles for personal use, his carefully protected photographs, those pieces of his correspondence and documents which are interesting from an academic point of view. All these are exhibited according to the following themes: In the first part of the exhibition, entitled "Early Years (1884- 1928)", objects and photographs related to the scholar's family, Hungarian and Turkish studies and his first travels are exhibited. "India (1929-1932)", the second part of the exhibition, is about the three unforgettable years in India, which had determinant expressions of his life. A separate group of photographs shows the everyday life of the university professor Germanus and his first wife Rózsa Hajnóczy in Santiniketan (Bengal). Their uncommon, close relationship is mirrored in the pictures. After two years of scholarly activities in Hungary, Germanus's interest turned to the Arab world. In the third section of the exhibition, "Pilgrimages - Germanus the Scholar (1934- 1944)" his travels to Arab countries and the significant moments of four decades of prolific research can be seen. Pieces of his first pilgrim clothes, his oriental carpets, his own volume of the Koran and the photographs all revive the portrait of Hajji Abdul Karim (Gyula Germanus) while the atmosphere of Arabic culture is recreated. In the fourth part of the exhibition, "Professional Relations - Public Activities", the visitors can acquaint themselves with Germanus's far-reaching range of connections with former Indian and Arabian politicians, authors, and scholars with the help of a photo documentation. Germanus was a great teacher character. It is reflected in the section entitled "Germanus the Scholarly Teacher" compiled from the memories of his former students. The human portrait of Germanus is vividly formed in the imagination of the readers of his books. Beyond that in the sixth part of the exhibition we try to introduce "Germanus the Man" as a student, sheikh, language genius, literary man, violinist, lover of boxing and riding. The final section displays Germanus the traveller and his contribution to the development of geography with the title "Germanus and Geography". An interactive unit is installed to present the most important moments of Germanus's life with the help of a digital photo album including many photographs. The visitors can also listen to the most interesting parts of his works and the voice of Germanus himself from the archives of the Hungarian Radio and the Hungarian Television. The present volume, in addition to the detailed description of the exhibition, also incorporates a study about the connection between Gyula Germanus and Geography and about the circumstances his legacy was adopted by the Hungarian Geographical Museum. The chapters of the book contain a catalogue of the legacy, a chronology of the life of Germanus, a selected bibliography of his works, and the personal recollection of Gyula Germanus's students. The main mission of the present exhibition and the publication is to create a more authentic and more comprehensive portrait of Gyula Germanus the scholar and the man so that it could become our common treasure. Text: Edit Timar Lendvai Translator: Marta Barbaries 71 T i
