Kalla Zsuzsa: Beszélő tárgyak. A Petőfi család relikviái (Budapest, 2006)

Zsuzsa Kalla: The history of the Petőfi relics

Petőfi Society that is in need of such a pious build- ing, somewhere they can establish themselves and endeavour to play the leading role in Hungarian fiction, a role for which they seem not at all qualified.’ (Gyulai 1901, 156) In 1906 Lajos Bartók set the collecting process in motion. After his death it was continued by Sándor Endrődy, and the house in Budapest’s Bajza utca was purchased. This almost too costly venture was rescued by Ferencz Herczeg, who had the idea of asking Hungarian women to do the collecting: ‘After all, the ladies are practically the only people who read Hungarian fiction.’ (Kéry 1911, A 22) This proved a wise move: the work offered an opportunity to make donations, do public work and, of course, for exhibitionism. 1907 saw the formation of the Petőfi House committee; led by Lady Albert Apponyi, wife of the Minister of Education, it consisted mainly of aristocratic ladies. They established sister committees in the provinces and sent out subscription lists, in response to which the Petőfi House received donations from the capital, educational institutions, schools, the media and banks.

The foundation of the Petőfi House and especially the system of collecting gave rise to protestations from the other half of Hungarian society. The revolutionary poet Endre Ady was furious, writing: ‘The less well educated, larger part of Hungarian society has still not grown tired of shouting about the Petőfi House. [...] No one has been spared, and with their cults they have even managed to insult Lajos Kossuth. [...] Petőfi never shall be so dead that he can be locked in a dark burial chamber. It is as if he knew who would dare to speak on his behalf, and he at least hid his corpse when he met Death.’ (Ady 1961, 199) The newspaper Népszava published a witty but sarcastic poem on the collecting organised at the Petőfi May celebrations. The plebeian anger of the journalist is somewhat excessive; his image of Petőfi is just as cult-bound and far from reality as that of the people he is chastising. The poem is an accusation on behalf of the ‘poverty-stricken poet’:

TO THE HUNGARIANS OF THE CASINO

You carbuncles! What can I say?

What can I say about you?

I hear that your patriotic minds

Have woven a pretty little plan.

You are buying me a house? That’s nice. How quickly the poet progresses!

He who roamed the highways Is now given four walls by you.

I only had a homeland, not a home,

But now I live in a palace;

Here “my relics” shall hang On the nice, papered walls.

Few rags of mine remain, as I hardly had more than what I wore.

But these will all be “consecrated"

By brawny heroes in the countryside.

And the “opening” will be glitzy:

Every “Hungarian squire" will be there. You will recite my poems with fervour, Speech-giving is oh so nice.

For example, you will chant, and I will burst out laughing: “Honourable gentlemen, hey,

Are your necks not itching!!’’

Since money is needed to marry me off,

A lot of money, damn it!

Got it: “Jews, boors, hey Buy May Day tickets!”

[...]

This vagabond and tramp Was still a son of the people,

A red-flagged socialist,

An instigator, an agitator.

Come forward! Give and pay.

And the splendid people give much,

We just collect diligently And accept the applause.

(Sz. n. 1907, 8)

The Petőfi House was designed by the architects József and László Vágó, and the architecture of the interior was overseen by Ödön Faragó. With its

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