Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2001. [Vol. 7.] Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 27)

Book review - András Tarnóc: Csillag András: Joseph Pulitzer és az amerikai sajtó. [Joseph Pulitzer and the American Journalism]

publisher. That is Joseph Pulitzer, the politician, the peace activist, the war monger, the benefactor, the champion of the freedom of the press and the immigrant lacking an identification with the old country, or displaying a limited ethnic consciousness cannot be understood without his main achievement, the cornerstone of his empire, The World. Csillag presents a thorough and scholarly evaluation of Pulitzer's life and career. Joseph Pulitzer was as it is well known, one of the leading, if not the most dominant figures of journalism in the United States. The monograph presents a figure with tremendous contradictions, and these inconsistencies form the basis of this review as well. In fact the reader sees two Pulitzers, a dedicated journalist displaying public consciousness as one of the founders of new journalism, a responsible political activist, and a champion of peace and freedom of the press, while the other Pulitzer is the dejected political supporter turning against Cleveland, and the irresponsible inciter of war during the Spanish-American conflict over Cuba. Based on the facts provided by the monograph, this review will examine Pulitzer's political socialization process, and the development of his immigrant experience including the evolution of his liminal consciousness. Pulitzer's tremendous successes and devastating defeats can be partially explained by. his pblitical socialization process. Political socialization is the result of the interaction of such factors as the family, schooling, peer groups and religious influences (Harris 184). Pulitzer was an offspring of a Jewish family with a Moravian background. His father was a well-to-do merchant, whose assignment as a procurer for the Hungarian troops during the 1848-1849 Revolution and War of Independence demonstrated a commitment to freedom and democracy for the young Pulitzer. Furthermore, Joseph Pulitzer's uncle fought in that struggle as well. Pulitzer was the fourth child of a large family, in fact out of his four brothers and four sisters, only his younger brother Albert survived to adulthood. Another important and dramatic element of his upbringing was the death of his father and the ensuing economic misfortune. As Csillag concludes, Pulitzer's main heritage from his family was the love of freedom, the commitment to struggle against tyranny and the respect of Hungarian culture. 186