The Hungarian Student, 1958 (3. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)

1958-10-01 / 1. szám

avoid in conversations is typical too. Living standards, high prices, low income, «western» progress does not seem to be tabu to the people of Budapest. But not so communism in general, the Russians, or the future of Europe. «Not just because it isn’t wise. They don’t like to think, to talk about those problems at all.» - We can’t solve those problems - a sportmanager told my friend - we live just for today and try not to be concerned about to-morrow. Have some everyday, small pleasures still in the reach of most of us. Few friends, good conversation, a cup of espresso, the theatre, some good foreign movies.»

The young people are just as tired of problems. But they look healthy, they are well built and quite tall by European standards, - thinks my friend who is six feet four inches tall. Sport is the only pastime what they and their government favorises. But as one young boy put it, they don’t give a damn what the government likes. Which is a statement of their feelings rather than of their behaviour. «They learned a hard lesson, you know. There is a slight chance of compromises sometimes, but the individual can’t fight the state. He knows that he is going to be the loser.»

Some had even grimmer views. An old waiter, outdying specimen of more cosmopolitan times bursted out: «When I started at the Ritz in 1909, everybody was gay and happy in this city. We had thousands of fine guests, from all over the world. The best music, the best food. You can’t find even the ruins of the Ritz now. It was blown up during the war. And by the way, how many smiling faces do you see here nowadays ?»

But people still like to laugh if not so easily though. They had not lost their sense of humour. Budapest is the city of political jokes. That is a national sport there. In the small espressos, sitting over their tiny coffee-cups people usually smile and whisper. They tell jokes. When they just whisper without smiling, it is plain political talk.

The nightclubs are full, the theatres playing Shaw, Chechov, Ibsen, Shakespeare and Moliere are sold out. They reintroduced Steinbeck’s About Mice and Men last year with tremendous success. «We are not much interested in contemporary Hungarian drama» told a theatregoer. What they are allowed to play, the public does not like, so the theatres had to bow to the customer. «And the play of a living Russian has not a ghost of a chance.» But the movies featu-