Stephen Sisa : The Spirit of Hungary

The first edition of this book was written in 1981, the year which marked the 25th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 that shook the world. At that time Milovan Djilas wrote in the

New Leader:

"With the Hungarian people's Revolution, a new chapter began in the history of humanity... The Hungarian uprising... is perhaps no less meaningful than the French or Russian Revolution... It means the beginning of the end of Communism generally." (1956, Nov. 19).

In 1990, when these lines are being written for the new edition of this book, Djilas' prophecy seems to have come true with Communism's dramatic decline-triggered, once again, by a burst of Hungarian spirit. Tribute to the Magyars' history-shaping role in 1989 was paid by no lesser person than Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, in a speech delivered in Budapest in May, 1990:

"Hungary's role in this latest revolution had been crucial. You reasserted your rights and your independence without bloodshed or violence... All of the re-emerging democracies of Europe owe Hungary a debt. As a result, we now remember who cut the first wire of the Iron Curtain, who hammered the first hole in the Berlin Wall, and who was the courageous pastor in Transylvania, supported by his Hungarian and Rumanian countrymen who, last December. upset a tyrannical regime... Thanks to these events all Europe is now on the threshold of historical change."

In view of Hungary's extraordinary record for triggering great turnabouts, the question arises: what makes this small country capable to play such an eminent role in history?

The answer can be found in this book. Surprisingly, though the events of Hungarian history have been recorded voluminously in English, no previous attempt has been made to illuminate the "spirit" of Hungary. History books may be mines of knowledge, but bringing out the soul of a people requires deeper investigation.

This book aims to fill that gap by telling in English the as yet untold story of Hungary.

In a departure from the conventional approach, this story is told not by merely recounting events but by narrating the lives and deeds of famous leaders who helped shape Hungary's destiny in times of glory and-in times of despair. Among them are men and women who made their mark on Hungary - for better or worse - and also people who made their mark on the world. Some of the stories are complemented by related excerpts from celebrated Hungarian novels and include interesting episodes told in English for the first time. The basic purpose of the book is not so much to offer a complete history as to present the highlights of more than a millennium through biographical close-ups.

Because the military and political exploits of a nation show only part of its character, "The Spirit of Hungary" seeks to reveal those qualities that are reflected in the art and music of its people. Indeed, it is in the domain of music that the richest manifestation of Hungarian genius can be found, as witnessed by the works of Liszt, Kodály and Bartók. Some of the greatest conductors of our time - Ormándy, Doráti, Reiner, Ferencsik, and Sir George Solti - were born in Hungary. Hungarian contributions to science also go well beyond what might be expected of a small country. All of these subjects are presented in a "cultural panorama" under various headings, including Hungarian literature, although the peculiar flavor of the Magyar language cannot be conveyed through translation.

The hundreds of pictures printed on these pages, however, speak a universal language and so do the various maps that dramatically illustrate the territorial changes caused by the dismemberment of the Hungarian Kingdom following the two World Wars. For the first time in Hungary's history the Magyars have become "a nation without boundaries," with more than one third of them living outside the borders of their mother country. This political phenomenon is examined here from a historical perspective.

Of the world's close to 16 million Hungarians, 10,7 million live within Hungary's present-day borders, while about 4 million live in regions that had been once part of Hungary but were annexed by Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. The rest live in the free world.

But history has proved the Magyars to be a tough and resilient people. Situated at the crossroads of Europe, they protected the Christian world from Asian hordes for centuries. More than once Hungary nearly perished in the process, and more than once it rose like a phoenix from its ashes. However mercilessly the winds of history may blow, the flame of the Hungarian spirit has not yet been snuffed out, and may never be.

This hope was movingly expressed by Victor Hugo when he said: "Hungary died not and cannot die. This eminent nation will arise from its grave where tyranny laid it. As long as the spirit of independence is virtue and heroism, glory and aspiration for liberty will live, Hungary will live."

Stephen Sisa : The Spirit of Hungary