Books or documentaries about Hungarian history, culture, and literature?
Posted by BHB5@reddit | askhungary | View on Reddit | 28 comments
Hi everyone, I am brand new to this sub. My dad is from Hungary but left when he was very young during the revolution. I am wanting to learn more about Hungarian history, traditions, culture, music, art, and literature. Anything and everything! Do you have any recommended starting points for me in my learning in terms of books, websites, or documentaries? Even Hungarian authors in classical literature or poetry. I am wanting to get the best sense of the culture I can without having visited myself. (I would love to visit one day, but it is not in the cards for a while yet.) Thank you so much in advance for your help! (I do not speak Hungarian, so hopefully I’ll be able to find translated versions of the recommendations!)
My dad has been sharing what he can with me: lots of music and dances he enjoys finding online…. He remembers one poet he liked. We have lots of beautiful embroidery and a traditional boy’s vest, and a full skirt and top outfit for a girl. (The pleats, oh my goodness!) Some dolls my grandma gave me…. The artistry is phenomenal.
mon_key_house@reddit
Read Esterházy and for fun, Rejtő Jenő
Enough_Designer_965@reddit
OP speaks no Hungarian, so Rejtő is no option.
Nobody can ever translate Rejtő to any language without losing 70% of the content.
Which is sad, because Rejtő is a fucking genius.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
I actually really appreciate insight like this! I may still try it out, but I’ll keep in mind that I’m only get 70% of his real message.
Enough_Designer_965@reddit
He operates.with language puns you just can't translate. Rejtő alone worths to learn Hungarian. :)
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Lovely. Thank you kindly!
Ariana997@reddit
The Hungarians in Babel site has lots of poems translated into various languages. The list is a bit misleading as the names set in bold are not always the most important ones; check out Petőfi, Arany, Radnóti, Ady, József Attila Faludy first.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!
Borago70@reddit
Enyedi Ildikó My 20th Century film
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!
ThrowawaypocketHu@reddit
Anything by Magda Szabó.
That women is a gem and her books are amazing (though I'm not sure how much is lost in translation, I only read her books in hungarian).
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!
Borago70@reddit
Pilinszky János Selected Poems
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!
Enough_Designer_965@reddit
It is a weird pick but I recommend Lonely Planet Hungary. It is a guide book, but it gives you a nice glimpse of Hungary geography, art, economy, history and interesting facts.
If I want to know a country, I always turn to LP.
Almost forget, it has a Further reading chapter, where you are given a lot of books to read grouped by themes (geography, art, music, history, etc.)
Alternatively, Bradt guide is also good.
You can dive into Hungary with these books, and you can decide what you interested most.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
That’s actually a great idea! Thank you!!
Borago70@reddit
Szabó Magda The Door and Abigail; Szerb Antal Journey by Moonlight and The Pendragon Legend; Örkény István One Minute Stories; Vámos Miklós Book of Fathers; for literature & history. Maybe Gárdonyi Géza Eclipse of the Crescent Moon too.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
All great suggestions, thank you!!
Ariana997@reddit
Paul Street Boys has an English translation too
Borago70@reddit
I never liked that book, but it’s famous I know.
Guillermo1810@reddit
I highly recommend Krisztián Nyáry's "Eminent Hungarians" book. These are life stories of famous Hungarians, pretty fascinating. Honestly, if you are just getting into it, any Hungarian movie or documentary with English subtitles would do. Hbo Max and Netflix have plenty (maybe you have to turn on VPN to access them though. Lot of famous historical novels (which were probably contemporary novels at the time) are not easy to read, it might be more just a struggle than fun. An exemption is though Geza Gardonyi's "Eclipse of the crescent moon" (Egri csillagok), which is a novel set furing the Turkish times, telling the story of the siege of Eger. It's very fun and a nice read, and full of history.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!!
PublicMenace95@reddit
For history I would suggest books by Ignác Romsics. For Literature I would suggest Krasznahorkai.
AnarchiaKapitany@reddit
With respect, and credit where it's due: don't start with Krasznahorkai, as his books are daunting to read. Fekete István is easier, paints nice verbal pictures of a past bucolic life, and is generally a good introduction intő our literature.
AnarchiaKapitany@reddit
Or the one I’d recommend is Kondor Vilmos. His books are well translated, and are a fantastic insight into the Budapest of the last century.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I am ready to take a deep dive into everything, and this will be good to get an idea of the place my father was born.
AnarchiaKapitany@reddit
I'd DEFINITELY start with the Budapest Noir trilogy, then switch to the Second Hungarian Republic.
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you for this suggestion!
BHB5@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much!!