Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1981 (9. évfolyam, 27-30. szám)
1981 / 30. szám
HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER No. 30 ISSN: 0194-164X WINTER 1981-1982 Published quarterly by the Hungarian Research Center of the American Hungarian Foundation: Winter, Spring (two numbers included), and Autumn. Founder and editor: Bela Charles Maday. Journal editor: Enikő Molnár Basa. Corresponding editor: Lorant Czigany (London). Communications concerning content should be addressed to the Editor, 4528-49th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20016. Communications concerning subscriptions, advertising, and circulation should be addressed to American Hungarian Foundation, 177 Somerset Street, P.O. Box 1084, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903. Annual subscription in the U.S.A. $4.00. Abroad $5.00 Current single copy $2.00; back issues $2.50 each. BOOKS (Continued) some 10 pages. An appendix presents laws and admonitions of King Stephen I. The author is prof, of history at Texas A&M U. at College Station. Lotze, Dieter P. IMRE MADACH. Twayne Publishers, a division of G. K. Hall & Co., 70 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111,1981.173 pages chronology, biblio. $15.95 cloth. No. 617 in Twayne’s World Authors Series. This is the first book in English on Imre Madách (1823- 1864) and his work, though his dramatic poem, Az ember tragédiája (The Tragedy of Man), has seen several English translations since 1908. Hungarians consider the Tragedy as part of their cultural heritage in spite of the fact that the drama is void of overt references to Hungarian culture. Madach was a Hungarian patriot and a citizen of the world. His poetry reflects “a sensitive and thoughtful author, aware of the literary trends of his period but searching for his own mode of expression; a man occasionally savoring joy and contentment but often given to gloomy despair; ... a romanticist looking at reality; a lyricist on his way to writing a dramatic masterpiece.” The author after sketching a brief historical background, provides an overview of Madách’s poetry, his prose narratives and his dramatic attempts, but devoted most of his discussion to the Tragedy. An outline of Madách’s development as a writer is followed by a chapter on the levels of action in the Tragedy; one on the Faust tradition and Madách; and one on European Romanticism and Madach. The volume ends with a two-page note on the Tragedy a century later, expressing hope that “one day, perhaps, English-speaking audiences and scholars alike will understand why one of Europe’s last great romanticists is still his nation’s pride.” The author is prof, of modern languages at Allegheny Coll. His earlier Madách-related papers were reviewed in HSN no. 13, p.6; no.15, p.4; and no.22, p.8. Radnóti, Miklós. THE COMPLETE POETRY. Ed. and trsl. by Emery George. Ardis, 2901 Heatherway, Ann Arbor, Ml 48104,1980. 400 pages, illus. $17.50 paper. Radno'ti (1909-1944), the son of Jewish parents of Radnót in northeastern Hungary, embraced Christianity, married, and settled in Budapest during the 1930s. “He found consolation in faith and, to a certain extent, in the hope tor peace and a new, just society. At the same time, his poetry found refuge in Greek and Western classical models,” says G. Gomori. The fact that his lifelong works has been translated and published in English is a rather uncommon 2 occurrence. Few other poets have this distinction bestowed upon them, and none of the Hungarians. The credit for this monumental work goes not only to the poet for the substance and form of his work, but to Emery George, who edited the present volume contributing also a 30-page biography and 48 pages of notes. Why did this privilege fall upon Radnóti? Perhaps because of his tragic death a few months before the conclusion of World War II; perhaps because of his ability to reconcile personal, national, and universal motifs. THE STATUTES OF THE HUNGARIAN PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC: ACT I OF 1974 ON MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND GUARDIANSHIP. Ministry of Justice of the Hungarian People’s Republic with the cooperation of Corvina Kiadó". Budapest 1978. 70 pages. $8.00 cloth. A number of publications not channeled through the principal publishing houses provide valuable information pertaining to Hungarian law and jurisprudence. Laws and edicts are translated into English and are made available to students of law and the social sciences. The present volume on marriage, family, and guardianship was preceded by volumes on courts and court procedure, on planning of the economy, on criminal and civil procedures, on legal counselors, on protection of the environment, and on state enterprises. An introduction by Jenó"Bacsó to the present volume summarizes the content of the law and explains the intent of legislation. The definition of the family may be of interest: “a community of persons who belong to one another through the bond of matrimony, through blooddescent or through adoption.” The law encompasses chapters on solemnization of marriage, voidness and termination of marriage, rights and duties of the spouses; on the family status, adoption, maintenance of relatives and parental supervision; as well as on appointment and discharge of a guardian and termination of guardianship. Other statutes published by the Ministry of Justice and distributed by KULTÚRA are: Act IV of 1972 concerning the Courts, 60 pages, n.p.; Act VII of 1972 on the Planning of the National Economy, 52 pages $6.00; Act I of 1973 on Criminal Procedure, 208 pages, $12.00; Act 11 of 1976 on the Protection of Human Environment, 40pages, $5.00; Act VI of 1977 on State Enterprises, 40 pages, $5.00; The Code of Civil Procedure, 212 pages, n.p.; Government Decree of 1971 on Legal Advisors, 36 pages, $5.00; and Act I of 1977 on Notifications and Proposals of Public Interest, and on Complaints, $5.00. Szladits, Charles, comp, and annot. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FOREIGN AND COMPARATIVE LAW. Books and Articles in English. Supplement 1976. Oceana Publications, 75 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522, 1979. 291 pages. $17.50 paper. This bibliographic work was preceded by an impressive initial volume in 1955, comprising publications between 1790 and 1953, and by a number of subsequent supplements, adding on the average some 4,000 to 5,000 entries per volume to keep the collection up to date. The 1976 supplement has 5,702 entries including a good many English language items published in the Hungarian Law Review and in other periodicals. The organization of each volume conforms to that of the initial basic volume. The section on comparative law includes works on pertinent subjects, methodology, institutions, meetings, bibliographies, comparative teaching, codification, etc. Following a general section are entries by branches of law. This world-wide collection of comparative law in English serves as a unique and essential NO. 30, WINTER 1981-1982, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEW5LETTER
