Magyar versek Aranytól napjainkig. (Hungarian Verse from Arany to the Present Day) byLászló Cs. SzabóReview by: G. F. CushingThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 33, No. 81 (Jun., 1955), pp. 564-565Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4204686 .

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564 THE SLAVONIC REVIEW

Mr Brown maintains, and succeeds in demonstrating, that the attitude of RAPP to literature was a great deal more 'liberal' than has been com?

monly supposed. Its leading critic, Averbakh, whilst overtly accepting the

Party directives, is shown to have adopted a 'go slow' policy in implement? ing them. Particularly interesting was his adherence, and that of his

associates, to the slogan 'the living man', which meant that they demanded in the first instance depth and credibility in the portrayal of character rather than fidelity to current political maxims. They believed that it was better to have a true and convincing picture of real character (not neces?

sarily of direct help in building the new society) rather than a piece of

unconvincing propaganda. They dismissed the more narrow-minded con?

temporary literary cheer-leaders as 'varnishers of reality'. They also believed in the value of learning from the classics of Russian prerevolu? tionary literature, although for some of them this meant Tolstoy and

nothing more. As a result of Mr Brown's investigation we can now see that the liquida?

tion of RAPP by the Party in 1932 was not, as has sometimes been thought, the hoisting with its own petard of an organisation plus staliniste que Staline. Nor did it represent a temporary liberalisation of policy. On the contrary, the main reason for liquidating RAPP was that it was not willingly or

efficiently performing the various functions which have since come to be associated with its name. Its members survived, and even continued to

oppose the official line, for several years after the dissolution of their

organisation, but most of them had disappeared from the public scene

by about 1937. However, some of them, such as Yermilov and Fadeyev, have succeeded in erasing the RAPP stigma and are active to this day.

London Ronald Hingley

Magyar versek Aranytol napjainkig. (Hungarian Verse from Arany to the Present Day.) Compiled, with an introductory essay and notes, by Laszlo Cs. Szabo. Anonymous, Rome, 1953. lxiii + 505 pages.

The compiler of this modern verse-anthology is already well-known as a writer and literary critic. His book consists of a lengthy introductory essay followed by a selection of verse and brief biographical and bibliographical notes. In a short preface he declares his aim of producing a collection of the best verse, particularly for Hungarian readers now living outside

Hungary. The correction of certain current literary opinions in Hungary also plays a part in the compilation.

The reader is asked to peruse the essay before offering criticism of the verse as if the two parts of the anthology were closely connected; but this is not so. The essay is a highly individual and thought-provoking study of

Hungarian literature against its European background; its terse style and formidable content make great demands upon the knowledge of the reader. There are so many controversial statements in it that it will undoubtedly prove a useful source of examination questions for years to come. Here, however, two general criticisms may be noted. The first concerns the place

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REVIEWS 565

of Hungarian literature in Europe. There has always been a tendency for

Hungarian critics to write almost apologetically about their own litera?

ture; it needs to be stated firmly that there is no need to do so. Those who

know the excellence of modern Hungarian literature can only regret that

the language barrier is so great that it prevents more scholars from

studying its merits. It is good to see Hungarian literature against its

European background, but only if it is realised at the same time that it has

a vigorous and original contribution to make to it. Comparison with other

national literatures may quite unwittingly give the impression that it is but a pale shadow of something better known. The compiler occasionally falls

into this trap, even though he is presumably writing mainly for Hungarians. The second general criticism concerns the 'correction' of modern

opinion in Hungary, particularly of the poets now regarded as standard authors. There appear to be places in the essay where this process has

produced an unbalanced picture. Arany suffers from such treatment; he

appears to be far more of the 'neurotic peasant' than the good business? man he undoubtedly became during his long residence in the capital.

The selection of poetry can in fact be read without the perusal of the

essay. It shows above all the excellent taste of the compiler in producing an

anthology of such quality; it is rare to discover so many really good poems together. The balance between the various authors is carefully maintained. The most difficult of all Hungarian poets to compress within such a volume is Ady, and he suffers from the tendency towards correction

previously noted in the essay. Presumably the same thought must have led to the inclusion of the 'Phalanstery' scene from Madden's Tragedy of Man. The whole selection, however, gives a remarkable picture of modern

Hungarian verse in its many forms, and like every good anthology con? tains some unexpected gems.

This selection cannot avoid comparison with the modern verse con? tained in the much larger Hit evszdzad magyar versei (Seven Centuries of

Hungarian Verse), which appeared in Hungary during the previous year. Some 150 poems are common to both anthologies?about a quarter of those contained in the work under review. From the rest of the modern authors included in both volumes, a very broad picture of Hungarian verse in all its variety can be obtained; the two works are complementary.

The technical difficulties of compilation have been overcome to a remarkable degree. The notes are generally helpful and accurate and

misprints are few. Two lines of Hajnali rigok (p. 351) are obviously trans?

posed. One might well question the necessity of commencing each line with a capital letter, even where the original verse did not do so; this, coupled with the unfamiliar print and somewhat unusual layout of each

page, imparts a feeling of strangeness which it is hard to overcome. This must be regarded as one of the standard collections of Hungarian

verse. Of the need for it and of its great value, there is no doubt whatever. It is to be hoped that the compiler will soon produce a companion volume of earlier poetry.

London G. F. Cushing

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