Új Magyar Út, 1956 (7. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1956-03-01 / 3-5. szám
SUMMARY This issue of the New Hungarian Way has been devoted to The Netherlands and the history of Dutch-Hungarian relations. It contains eight articles dealing with this subject. They were written by Hungarians living in The Netherlands, and edited by the Washington staff of our magazine. In addition to the eight articles we also present samples of Dutch poetry, translated into Hungarian by Erzsébet Kisjókai and Sándor Varga de Kibéd. Another poem by the Hungarian Lajos Áprily recalls the memory of a Dutch woman whose husband was centuries ago a leading personality of Hungarian cultural life in Transylvania. Mrs. János Csere de Apácza, neé Aletta van der Meet, had been for a long time an important symbol of Dutch-Hungarian relations. The Rev. ISTVÁN TÜSKI (The Netherlands) introduces this issue with a description of another symbol of Dutch-Hungarian relations, a large bronze plaque at the State University of Utrecht. The plaque was given by grateful Hungarians, commemorating the thousands of Hungarian students who were studying at Dutch universities during the last four dents who studied at Dutch universities during the last four centuries. SÁNDOR VARGA de KIBÉD (The Netherlands) appraises the Dutch poetry of the last 75 years. The Lyric poetry is the richest field of Dutch literature and its most outstanding representatives include A. Roland Holst, Nijhoff, Marsman, Slauerhoff and Achterberg. ISTVÁN ERDÉLYI (The Netherlands) relates “How the Dutch Prisoners of War of World War II Were Aided by the Hungarians.” During the last war several captured Dutch officers succeeded in escaping from German PW camps and made their way to Hungary. There they were “interned” at one of the most luxurious resort hotels and, together with the escapees of the other Western allies, received substantial assistance from the Hungarian government and society. ATTILA KÖVY (The Netherlands) is the author of a historical essay on “Gábor Bethlen and The Netherlands.” This great ruler of Transylvania in the 17th century was a champion of religious liberty. He also managed to secure the goodwill of the Turkich Empire and maintained extensive diplomatic relations with the Western powers, particularly The Netherlands. His magnificent plans for the consolidation of Central- Eastern Europe were interrupted by his early death. Our next article, “The Profile of Dutch Society,” is the result of collaboration between the authors of our other Dutch articles. The roots of modern Dutch democracy go far back into the past. The country was unified from the seven independent provinces during the war against Spain. The development of democracy was aided by decentralization, the influence of Calvinism and the merchant-bourgeois structure of the society. These influencese were well balanced by the central power of the House of Oran. The modern Dutch society has no classes in the accepted sense — 156 —
