Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1979 (7. évfolyam, 19-22. szám)

1979 / 19-20. szám

BOOKS

centuries which preceded the birth of Louis Kossuth were marked by periodic clashes between the Hungarian nation and its foreign ruler.” The most dramatic clash, however, came in the lifetime of Kossuth, and he became the principal actor of the drama. His name, and the memory of the revolution has united as much as divided Hungarians ever since. “It is the source of national pride but also of self-doubt and questioning.” The book is both, a biography of a great statesman and an account of Europe’s longest and bloodiest conflict during the revolutionary era of the mid-18th century. It centers on Kossuth, but characterizes his major rivals such as Széchényi, Batthya'ny, and Görgey, as well as alternative options they advocated. The volume is the first scholarly account in a Western language of the revolution and of Hungary’s war of independence. Using many previously untapped sources, the author tries to answer questions which bedazzled many a historian. Could the conflict have been avoided? Was the Russian intervention necessary? Did Kossuth and the leaders of the revolution set their sights too high? It is a scholarly volume on Hungarian history skillfully placed into European context.

The author is Professor of History, and Director of the Institute of East-Central Europe at Columbia U.

Kovács, Martin L. ed., ETHNIC CANADIANS: Culture and Education. Canadian Plains Research Centre, U. of Regina, Regina, Canada S4S OA2, 1978. 500 pages. $12.00 paper.

The volume attempts to approach a central subject, in this case the Canadians viewed in the problematics of their respective sociocultural descent. Some thirty contributors include leading Canadian researchers in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, and linguistics. Individual topics

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

CATSPLAY; A Tragi-Comedy in Two Acts, by István Örkény.

Trsl. Clara Györgyey. Samuel French, Inc., 25 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036, 1976.

This translation is based on a version performed with good success in various theaters of the U.S. The French Series are designed as scripts for theaters, drama groups, and schools, thus this version has become widely available. The text is idiomatic American, and the play’s bittersweet yet slightly cynical point of view is translated successfully. □

Robert E. Levinson (San Jose State U.) in his recent book The Jews in the California Gold Rush mentions one individual known to have participated in the European revolutions and also joined the gold rush, Jacob Kohn. From a letter of his grandson Irving Coan of San Francisco, Levinson learned that Kohn was forced to flee Hungary with Lajos Kossuth. “They arrived in New York but found no interest in their attempt to raise funds for a second rebellion.” After another unsuccessful attempt in St. Louis, Kohn joined the Gold Rush in 1849, “going down the river, across Panama, and up the West Coast.” The book was published by KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 75 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013. □

Akadémiai Kiadó' announced the appointment of Heyden & Son, Inc., 247 South 41st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, as the North American marketing and distribution agent for its English language publications. Free catalog available upon request. □

(More News on page 12)

are concerned with a broad range of subjects from the Anglo- Canadians as an “ethnic grouping” to the discussion of specific problems of the Indians and the Blacks. The historical studies focus on the severe problem of Canada, the relationship between Anglo and French Canadians. In this context, one of the main hypothesis of the volume as a whole is that this relationship has largely amounted to what may be simplified as a consistent competition for cultural resources. As lesser, yet by no means insignificant actors, the Ukrainians (many of them former Ruthenians and Galicians from Austria-Hungary) and the Hungarian Canadians of Saskatchewan are shown to contribute to the drama. The volume represents an important aid to Hungarian studies especially through the chapter “The Hungarian School Question” written by the editor. Socio-cultural aspects of the Hungarian prairie settlements is brought out in colorful detail and a major instance of their supra-territorial cooperation is described, analyzed, and placed into proper historical perspective. The study is likely to become a model in the interpretation and understanding of the intricacies of Hungarian American history.

The author is Prof, of History at the U. of Regina.

ARTICLES & PAPERS

Konrád, György and Iván Szelényl. “Social Conflicts of Under-urbanization.” In M. Harloe ed., Captive Cities. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1977; pp. 157-173. Based on an article originally published in the December 1971 issue of Valóság. “A késleltetett vaVosfej lode's társadalmi konfliktusai” (Social conflicts caused by delayed urbanization).

While the effects of rapid urbanization have received great attention worldwide, the authors argue that “Hungarian urbanization produces social tension not because of its excessive speed but, on the contrary, because of its relatively slow rate.” This article describes the manifestations of under-urbanization, its causes, and the social conflicts and economic problems that stem from it. The authors say that limitations on the growth of the infrastructure and the blind use of “equality” as a frame of reference have in practice (e.g. in the distribution of urban housing) extended social inequalities. Because of delayed urbanization fewer have been able to migrate permanently to the city than would like to. Thus, while everyone pays for the infrastructure, not everyone is given equal opportunity to use it; due to their differential access to urban housing, it is the upper and middle strata which chiefly benefit. The subordination of infrastructural development to “productive” investment has also ultimately worked as a drag on further industrial development, thus confounding the justification for such a policy. The authors find many contradictions in Hungary’s regional management and economic planning policies based largely on the unwillingness to recognize possible negative consequences of the centralization of decision-making. They also note that agriculture and the “new working class” in the villages have recently been able to profit from some of this disadvantage and may well provide a new dynamic force which, with favorable regulation, may help begin to counterbalance the problems mentioned above.

Konra'd is a Hungarian writer who has written literary and sociological essays and a widely acclaimed novel, A látogató

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NO. 19-20, 1979, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER