Új Magyar Út, 1955 (6. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1955-06-01 / 6-8. szám
NEW HUNGARIAN WAY DR. JOSEPH REMÉNYI’S own contribution to this issue is an essay on “Hungarian Past, American Present.” He introduces the reader to his work as a professor of literature, a poet, a translator, and as a correspondent of many outstanding Hungarian and American writers of the past and present. The author relates his efforts to acquaint American readers and students with the Hungarian contributions to the world’s treasure of culture. He refers to Erasmus of Rotterdam who, upon returning from a journey in various European countries, in 1524 reported the existence of an intellectual elite in Hungary. Comparing this fact with the present large number of Hungarian professors teaching at American universities, Professor Reményi finds remarkable that the descendants of those Hungarians who were learning from great Western teachers are now teaching the West. * * * The NEW HUNGARIAN WAY devotes nine pages to the publication of a nearly complete bibliography of the works of Prof. Joseph Reményi. Most of these works were written in English or Hungarian, with some of them in other languages. They include novels, essays, poetry, monographies, articles, lectures, etc. * * * LÁSZLÓ CS. SZABÓ (London), Hungarian aesthete, poet, writer and literary historian, writes on “The Last Chapter” of the life of Mihály Vörösmarty, the great romantic poet of the 19th century. Although Vörösmarty died 100 years ago, his pessimistic prophecies made him a contemporary of our own age. Unlike Petőfi who died in it, Vörösmarty saw the tragic end of the Hungarian War of Independence in 1849, and from the impressions gained then he was able to foresee the sad fate of the Hungarians that was to come. * * * PROF. MIHÁLY FERDINANDY’S “The Hungarian Observer” is being continued in its third installment in this issue. It is an autobiography and an interesting experiment in a new method of history writing. * * * DR. JÁNOS CSONKA (Australia), a former Hungarian government official and now a teacher, deals with the problems of democracy in his essay titled “Democracy, The Rule of the People?” The author maintains that real self-determination has never existed on this earth, not even in Switzerland or the United States, which come closest to the realization of that idea. Modern society consists of a number of different groups and organizations, and each of them tries to gain the best positions and greatest advantages for itself. This often results in conflicts of interests, but the democratic states are able to control such conflicts to the extent where they do not harm the peace and welfare of the society. — 338 —
