The Hungarian Student, 1958 (2. évfolyam, 1-7. szám)
1958 / 6. szám
4 the Hungarian student Exile Student and Youth Periodicals by J. B. 1 HE REFUGEE has a grave problem to face during his years spent in emigration. It is not only to preserve the traditions of his native land but to find an even deeper meaning in them. At the same time, he has to build up a new life in new surroundings. One way in which a person may reveal his beliefs is by writing about them. For example, editing a periodical written in English but concerning Hungarian culture and Hungarian affairs, sometimes seems impossible. Such publications do not sell on the news stands; they make no profit through advertising. The authors of various articles are not paid for their contributions. The printing and paper, however, are not free. On the other hand, if we compare Hungarian traditions to the modest lichen, a plant that is able to grow on rocks, we will see that for both there are no unfavourable conditions but only changed surroundings. How fast and how effectively can we recognize the new possibilities, and fulfill these possibilities in art, culture and the progressive ideology of our fatherland? This is the question. As we turn over pages of the exile student and youth publications of various nationalities available to the Hungarian student, the first fact that hits our eye is that there are quite a few of them. There are, only to mention a few, publications by Ukrainians (in English), Lithuanians (in English), Czechoslovakians (in French), Poles (in Polish), and others in French, English, Czechoslovak, and, for exile students living in Scandinavia, in Swedish. Our first impression, therefore, is wrong: on the contrary, there are opportunities for us to reveal our thoughts—we have only to find them. The Hungarian Student plans to send some of its issues to the publishers of the above mentioned magazines, in order to establish an exchange of publications. Later on, we would like to exchange articles with them. Why shouldn’t the Ukrainians, for example, express their views on a few Hungarian problems? Or why shouldn’t we Hungarians, print an article stating how much we enjoyed reading the magazine published by the Poles? Through this article, other than its purpose to express a sincere appreciation for other student reviews, we would like to express the idea of co-operation, which could lead to closer contact, and a better understanding between nations that have similar problems. Comparison of Publications We have received some of the exile youth publications. There is, for example, the student review of the Ukrainians, called Horizons. The good quality of this publication, edited in the form of a literary review, is obvious at first glance. The articles, mostly ideological and cultural, are written by wellinformed people. The articles are long but interesting and there are many issues discussed which always interest Hungarians. We find reproductions of Ukrainian painters’ works; we find poetry in fine, elegant translation and the works of great Ukrainian poets. It must have been difficult to transplant the poetic values of such a rich language so unconnected with Latin, English, or the Germanic languages. The cover is simple and contemporary. Even from its exterior, Horizons could well be one of the best publications on news stands anywhere in the Western hemisphere. On the front page of Lituanus, a Lithuanian publication, we read the following titles: “One year of Destalinization” . . . “Changing Population in Lithuania” . . . “Lithuanians in Latin America” . . . Other than these political and ideological articles there are items in the Lithuanus about art and literature. Among others, we read a very exciting one about Lithuanian native musical instruments. In general, Lituanus contains less material and has a different exterior than Horizons. It has a bigger format and its cover is simpler; more like a scientific review. Its inside arrangement is different also. It prints fewer articles but its style and type are more elegant. Horizons’ full page lines of type are in harmony with its smaller form, while the double column style of Lituanus, considering its size, is open and pleasant. Both Horizons and Lituanus show much national self-respect without a trace of chauvinism. The pictures in Lituanus are interesting and carefully chosen. Another very interesting magazine is Nouvel Horizon, the monthly published by Czech students and printed in French. Its cover unites the characteristics of the Ukrainian and Lithuanian reviews: fair-sized, magazine-like, but without a table of contents. Instead, with its black and white motifs, its abstract design of a star, it is simple, modern, and in extremely good taste. Its contents are perhaps the most scientific, theoretical and the least dramatic among the three publications mentioned so far. Its articles are about the same length as those in Lituanus but from the point of view of content, it is more exciting and more varied. After having read the articles in Nouvel Horizon, one gets the picture of a group of emigres who, pondering the problems of today’s world, are well aware of what they want to see happen. Their writing is full of accurate figures, and instead of using photographs, they print pen and ink sketches. This helps to make their pages quite appealing to the eye. There are many other publications of equal merit. To mention a few, there is Merkuriusz, a Polish youth magazine; Utpost, in Swedish, for exiles living in Scandinavia; Lithuanian Girl Guides; Svedectvi, written in Czech and Slovak; Jeunesse Libre, for exile students from East Europe; L’Étudiant Libre; Festival News; Suggestions; World Festival, and last, but not least, the youngest publication recently put out by the East European Student and Youth Service, Youth and Communism, which prints interesting facts about youth and students living in countries under Communist governments. It also has a very distinctive appearance. Exchange of Ideas Important Some of our readers may find this list incomplete. We will be grateful to know about new student and youth publications appearing anywhere in the free world. Let us emphasize again how important, in our opinion, is the co-operation between young publishers of all nationalities. We believe that we have much to learn from students of other nations and perhaps they will find also interesting articles in our magazines. We believe that peace, understanding, and the free exchange of ideas is the new kind of life that lies ahead of us. Let us never forget that it is up to the younger generation to ensure this freedom!
