Landmark 1945-1965

Fülszöveg

This volume intends to reflect the principal phases of the progress made by the people of Hungary from the 1930's up to 1965-the twentieth anniversary of their liberation from the Nazis. It includes short stories, poems, sociological surveys, essays, newspaper stories and excerpts from novels which bring back the problems, the events and the atmosphere of various periods of development between these dates. The literary styles and manners represented are no less varied than the genres: they rangé from the intensely dramatic to the slow-moving, and from the playful to the grotesque. Such variety is a necessary consequence of the principle of selection the editors applied: their chief criterion was to include works which give a poignant portrayal of a given moment in history. This principle, of course, imposes a limitation on the anthology, confining it to pieces mirroring the successive phases of the old and the new life. The volume is divided into three parts. The first, a kind of... Tovább

Fülszöveg

This volume intends to reflect the principal phases of the progress made by the people of Hungary from the 1930's up to 1965-the twentieth anniversary of their liberation from the Nazis. It includes short stories, poems, sociological surveys, essays, newspaper stories and excerpts from novels which bring back the problems, the events and the atmosphere of various periods of development between these dates. The literary styles and manners represented are no less varied than the genres: they rangé from the intensely dramatic to the slow-moving, and from the playful to the grotesque. Such variety is a necessary consequence of the principle of selection the editors applied: their chief criterion was to include works which give a poignant portrayal of a given moment in history. This principle, of course, imposes a limitation on the anthology, confining it to pieces mirroring the successive phases of the old and the new life. The volume is divided into three parts. The first, a kind of mementó of the prewar era, contains writings of the leading authors and poets of the period, who describe the years preceding the liberation of Hungary in dark tones of pain yet with confidence in a better future. The second part recalls the morrow after the end of the war which bubbled with the excitement of a new beginning out of the
turmoil. This was a time when heartening experiences, such as the historic Land Reform of 1945, the acquisition by the people of political and economic power, the grandiose work of national reconstruction and the dynamism of the cultural revolution, were counterpointed by iniquities and disenchantment resulting from the personality cult which led to the brink of a national catastrophe; when honest intentions went awry and malicious plotting against the people caused violent shocks. The relevant literary confessions in prose and poetry document the pain and the pathos and the bittér awakening as well as the cheerful hopes of the times. Writings dating from and recording the sixties make up the third part. They reflect the peaceful atmosphere and at the same time the pulsating rhythm of healthy progress; the tension of change in maturing minds, in manners and ideals; and the catharsis-a clear prospect of future progress. Drawings by leading contemporary Hungárián artists contribute to this fine volume. Vissza