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

1979 / 19-20. szám

ARTICLES & PAPERS

Szelenyi, Iván. “Regional Management and Social Class: The case of Eastern Europe,” AIAS-Informationen-Angewandte Sozialforschung 1977 (1-2): 12-36, 1977 (3-4): 121-131. (AIAS: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für interdisziplinäre angewandte Sozialforschung. Address: A-1190 Wien, Sieveringer Strasse 15a, Austria).

This paper examines the antecedants and consequences of the system of regional management and redistribution in East Egrope. Drawing on his knowledge of Hungarian circumstances, the author traces differences between Eastern and Western Europe to differences noted by Max Weber between the Asiatic mode of production and redistribution on the one hand and Western political autonomy and urban self-government on the other. He argues “that certain institutions of the contemporary socialist redistributive regional management system (first of all, the structure of local governments) developed already in prerevolutionary Eastern Europe” and that the “nature (of the emerging urban and rural management system) stems as much from growth-problems more ‘East European’ than ‘socialist.’ Thus, many aspects of the Soviet system developed on the basis of the perceived needs of rapid industrialization for centralized appropriation of the agricultural surplus production, for the use of the rural population for cheap industrial labor, and for centralized decision-making and redistribution, all of which proceeded on the basis of established historical principles.” The centralized planning and redistribution led to an emphasis on “productive” investment and left an underdeveloped infrastructure. The author traces the often unintended consequences of this and the rational regional planning system now used in Hungry and other parts of Eastern Europe, noting especially underurbanization and the social inequalities between urban and rural areas that have developed.

The author, former editor of Szociológia and a researcher at the Hungarian Sociological Inst., left Hungary in 1975 and now teaches at Flinders U. in Australia.

(Peter Bell, U. of California, San Diego) □

Roth, W. “Hungary: Gone are the Glory Days,” Atlas 25 (March 1978) 49.

The author feels that the best days of Hungarian film are gone; the equality of the 60s has given way to stylization which strives for realism in the 70s and this leads to sterility. István Szabó, in an interview with Erika Gregor, indicated that more competition is needed. □

WORLD LITERATURE TODAY (formerly BOOKS ABROAD) has a record of over a decade’s work on behalf of Hungarian letters. In the past forty issues (Winter 1968- Autumn 1977), 163 Hungarian books were reviewed. (See HSN no. 12, p. 5.) Previously, between 1927 and 1967, reviews and articles also appeared with some regularity, but not in every issue. Tibor Déry, József Lengyel, Attila József, Sándor Weörös, István Vas, Miklós Hubay, Ferenc Karinthy and Péter Domokos have been subjects of separate articles, and Hermetic Poetry and Exile Literature in Hungarian has received separate chapters in special issues devoted to these topics. Translations of the poems of Attila József (by John Batki) and of Sándor Weörös (by Edwin Morgan), and photographs of Sándor Weörös, Tibor Déry, Miklós Hubay and Ferenc Karinthy have been included over the years. Ferenc Karinthy and Agnes Gergely were chosen as jurors

MEETINGS

The American Hungarian Educators’ Association held its fourth annual conference at Silver Spring, Maryland, April 26-28, 1979. The well attended meeting generated a good number of scholarly papers divided into the following sessions: (1) CULTURAL STUDIES, chaired by Susan Gal (Rutgers U.) included the papers of Conrad Reining (Catholic U.) on “Changes in the Relationship Between German Speaking Hungarians and the Majority of Population;” Marida Hollos (Brown U.) on "Ideology and Economics: Attitudes toward Collectivization in Two Hungarian Communities;” Linda Degh (Indiana U.) on “The Hungarian Image: Self-portrayal forTourism as Reflected in Folklore;” Judit Katona-Apte (U. of North Carolina) and Mahadev L. Apte (Duke U.) on “Natives’ Attitudes Toward Tourists and Expatriates as Reflected in Hungarian Humor;” George Bisztray (U. of Toronto) on “Auteurism in the Modern Hungarian Cinema.” (2) HISTORY, chaired by Maria Horvath Szalontay (Rutgers U.) contained papers of Joseph Held (Rutgers U.) on “Populism in Hungary: A Critique;" Julius Nyikos (Washington and Jefferson Coll.) on “Student Organizations in J-lungary 1940-1945;” Martin L. Kovács (U. of Regina) on Erdujhelyi in America: The History of a Historian;” Desider L. Vikor (Harvard U.) on “The Cistercians and the Árpád Kings of Hungary;” László' Kürti (City U. of New York) on “Hungarians Today and Hungarians Before.” (3) NATURAL SCIENCES, chaired by Stephen Brunauer (Clarkson Coll, of Technology). Papers presented: Zoltán Bay (American U.) “Radar Astronomy and the Special Theory of Relativity;” John Faragó (Dupont Company) “Material Revolution in the Twentieth Century;” Charles F. Pulvari (Catholic U.) “Artificial Intelligence and Its Expected Influence on Human Life;” L.S.G. Kovásznay (U. of Houston) “Science in the Far East (Japan and China);” (4) HUNGARIAN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, chaired by

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for the BA-Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1974

and 1978 respectively, and Gyula Illyés and Janos Pilinszky were candidates for the prize in those years. □

Gunda Bela, "Who Were the First People Whom Columbus Met in America?” Folklore 88 (1977) 191-193.

Bela Gunda cites some of the many stories he found in villages all over the Hungarian ethnic area about Hungarians having been the first people whom Columbus met. Most of the stories refer to members of village communities whose jobs took them away from home, e.g. the women of Kiskündorozsma who regularly went to the market or the onionvendors of Varfalva (Transylvania) who sometimes carried their wares to Moldavia; or they refer to other groups whose livelihood required absence from home such as: the navvies of Abony. Another group often found in these stories are the itinerant Slovak tinkers. The “American motif” can also be found in the stories of soldiers returning from Mexico after the execution of the Emperor Maximilian. These data prove the role America plays in Hungarian folklore—more than any other country. The stories, anecdotes and phrases probably stem from the second half of the 19th century when immigration from Hungary started on a large scale. Gunda has been unable to find the sources of the stories, but has documented that they occur in quite distant parts of the Hungarian ethnic country. □

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NO. 19-20, 1979, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER