Plucked strings

"Söndörgö" and the lost music of the Balkans

Hungarian South Slav folk band Söndörgö's "delicate, transparent" sound derives from the tambura, a mandolin-like instrument that is plucked and strummed, and is very different to the elegiac music of Transylvanian folk, writes Simon Broughton. [more]

Franz Liszt 1811-1886

Franz Liszt, born 200 years ago in Hungary, lived a "trifurcated life" divided between Weimar, Rome and Budapest. On the composer's bicentenary, Mariá Eckhardt recalls the career of the only nineteenth century Hungarian musician to be recognized as among the greatest in the world. [more]

Gophers

"Sometimes I think these people no longer care," says the mayor of a village in northeastern Hungary. "They have crossed every limit." A reportage on relations between Roma and the majority offers little reason to be optimistic about an improvement in the current, dire situation. [more]

When voting "Yes" means rejection

Miklós Zeidler talks to András Schweitzer

Forced to ratify the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, Hungarian parliamentarians planned to demonstrate their opposition through a show of unanimity. The actions of dissenting MPs illustrate the distinction between a sense of injustice and false patriotism, says Miklós Zeidler. [more]

Remembering Bartók

John Moseley talks with Elisabeth Klein

"He made very few comments and never about technical problems. I once asked about a particular fingering and he replied 'Use your nose if you like.'" Shortly before her death, the pianist Elisabeth Klein talked to composer John Moseley about her former teacher Béla Bartók. [more]

The resurrection of László Hudec

In China, a resurgence in interest in the architecture of the "bourgeois era" has led to the rediscovery of Hungarian architect László Hudec, famous for Shanghai's Park Hotel (1931-1934). János Gerle recalls the life and work of one of the pioneers of Chinese modernism. [more]

In the power arena

US-Hungarian relations 1942-1989

Between 1941 and 1989, Hungary's hand-tied politicians were at the mercy of the Great Powers and their struggle for hegemony in Europe. A study of US diplomatic documents shows the extent to which realpolitik determined US policy on Hungarian national independence. [more]

Closer to the East or the West?

Eszter Rádai Talks with György István Tóth

Hungarians are distrustful and frown upon social inequality, according to a new survey. They are in two minds about breaking rules and are deeply committed to state redistribution. This places their values and attitudes closer to those of Eastern Orthodox countries than to the West. [more]

Gorbachev's go-ahead

András Schweitzer in conversation with Mark Kramer

With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to accuse the West of reluctance in '89. Yet concerns about a violent crackdown by Moscow were understandable, if ultimately unfounded. [more]

Guns, fire and ditches

A report from Tatárszentgyörgy on the Roma killings

Conversations with villagers of Tatárszentgyörgy, Hungary, the scene of anti-Roma violence in February 2009. An insight into the spiral of crime and resentment in small communities facing increasing competition for employment and education. [more]

The seeds of wrath

Well-meaning but badly designed government policies which aim to lift the Roma out of poverty have tended to have the perverse impact of reinforcing difficulties associated with them. On the background to the spate of anti-Roma violence in Hungary in 2009. [more]

A reluctant and fearful West

1989 and its international context

Documents recently released from the Hungarian archives reveal how western leaders, without exception, deferred to the Soviet Union in 1989. The threat of regional chaos meant overwhelming support for preserving the status quo as events unfolded. [more]

One day it has to come out

Two books dealing with the state security in communist Hungary show that a much wider circle than the network of agents were responsible for the disadvantages suffered by thousands. This radically calls into question the treatment of informants as scapegoats. [more]

Hungarian bubbles

Despite the horror-stories, Hungary's budget deficit at 3 per cent of GDP and its public debt at just above 70 per cent do not fare too badly in a global comparison. "So what's our problem?", asks Zoltán Farkas. [more]

Twenty years on

"When in opposition, they do not comport themselves as the opposition to a democratically elected government. When they become the governing party, they pursue the same paternalistic, populist political game." Agnes Heller's indictment of Hungarian politicians twenty years after 1989. [more]

Settled in the present

Judit Rácz in conversation with Péter Eötvös

"In philosophy, literature, the theatre, painting, you name it, the new is seen as positive, indeed it is expected, whereas in music it constantly has to be justified in the teeth of opposition". Hungarian composer Péter Eötvös in interview. [more]

East European savages

Ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina vote for liberal, Belgrade-based parties in Serbia while unconditionally supporting the Right in Hungary itself. László Végel is reminded of the joke about the savage. [more]

Doom and gloom

Asked how they see their country ten years from now, only a third of Hungarians say that it will be a successful European country. "Hungary's political elite, its intellectuals and its media bear enormous responsibility for this negativity," writes Elemér Hankiss. [more]

Schengen blues

Hungary's entry into the Schengen Zone in December 2007, along with eight other countries, brought a further relaxation of historical borders. While many communities have benefited, the process has not been without its absurdities, writes Gábor Miklósi. [more]