AZ ORSZÁGOS SZÉCHÉNYI KÖNYVTÁR ÉVKÖNYVE 1976-1977. Budapest (1979)

V. Könyvtörténeti és művelődéstörténeti tanulmányok - Jeszenszky Géza: A „Hungary", az első angol nyelvű magyar újság - „Hungary" the first English-language periodical published in Hungary

„Hungary" the first English-language periodical published in Hungary G. JESZENSZKY This semimonthly "illustrated society journal" appeared regularly from 1 December 1903 until June 1917. Its owner and editor was Jenő (Eugene) Oolonya, a man of little social or political standing, and probably of moderate financial means. On its 16 — 20 pages the Hungary offered the English-reading public informative articles on the beauties, institutions, history, politics, prominent personalities, culture and the various other achievements of Hungary, which, needless to say, presented a rosy view of affairs. Special emphasis was laid upon enlightening the foreign public that Hungary was an independent unit (Austria's equal partner) within the monarchy ruled by the Habsburgs, and, consequently, was entitled to demand that the various common institutions of Austria-Hungary (above all the Army) should reflect the independence of Hungary more clearly. One of the major targets of the Hungary was to attract British capital for the industrial development of Hungary, a concomitant, or rather a precondition of making Hungary a really equal, and later hopefully the predominant partner in the Dual Monarchy. Despite its unequivocally nationalist tone, Golonya's paper tried to avoid taking a clear stand in the issues debated in Parliament and in the Press. This can be explained by the subservient character of the Hungarian bourgeoisie, which accepted the supremacy of the historic ruling class. Thus although the interests represented by the Hungary were rather those of the smaller and middle bourgeosie than of the landlords' and/or the upper bourgeosie's, the paper never ceased to court the favours of the most influential political and financial circles, and was at a loss when serious disagreements arose within the ruling establishment. But the cautiousness of the Hungary brought only meagre results

: it received neither much help nor sufficient recognition from the government for its services. Such services were unquestionably performed, especially between 1905 and 1909, when a coalition of nationalist, clerical and aristocratic liberal parties won a majority at the polls, and from 1906 formed the government. The Hungary stood nearest to the right wing of the Party of Independence, lead by Count Albert APPONYI, and joined in the campaign of the coalition to win the political and economic support of Britain for the nationalist aims of Hungary. These efforts ended in complete failure, partly on the merits of the case itself, and partly because it was during these very years that the reputation of Hungary as a liberal, constitutional State was irreparably ruined by the critical writings of R. W. SETON-WATSON, Wickham STEED and others, and gave way to the image of a reactionary, feudal clique oppressing the non-Hungarian nationalities. The Hungary could not really enter the controversies carried on about Hungary in the contemporary British Press, and remained an increasingly despondent observer of these trends. With the change of government in 1910 the political activity of the paper considerably decreased. With the coming of the war it lost its main reason of existence, but it struggled on for three more years, even after the death of its founder. The impact of the Hungary on the British and American public was minimal, and probably the majority of its readers were Hungarians, but the fact that it existed shows the importance pre-first-world-war Hungary attributed to English as a language and the English-speaking countries as possible sources of support. 32 OSZK Évkönyve 497