Francis Berger
  • Blog
  • My Work

George Szirtes's Biased Concerns About Hungarian Culture

8/8/2013

0 Comments

 
George Szirtes, a translator of Hungarian heritage who resides in London and has provided the world with, among other things, some fairly decent translations of Sandor Marai's novels, is bashing the current Fidesz government for its dictatorial approach to Hungarian culture.  Szirtes laments the current government is actively trying to eradicate any philosophy, culture, art, and creativity that does not adhere to a patriotic party line by denying artists and thinkers funds, positions, support and recognition.  

You can read the article here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/06/hungary-culture-crushed?INTCMP=SRCH&utm_source=mandiner&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=mandiner_hungarianglobe_201308

I agree with the basic premise of Szirtes' outrage - I don't like the idea of art being used solely for ideological purposes either, but what bothers me about Szirtes's article is the double-standard he fails to declare and the bias he chooses to hide.  

Most of the Hungarian writers and artists Szirtes mentions in his article have shady roots in the old communist regime.  Peter Esterhazy recently discovered his father was a communist informer.  Marta Meszaros's parents were both ardent communists - so much so that they chose to move to Moscow in the 1930's.  Ironically, Meszaros's father was consequently killed in a Stalinist purge.  Even lauded film director Istvan Szabo, whose film Sunshine achieved international success and recognition, was a communist informer who provided the secret police with information about dozens of people.  

So, what's the big deal?  Well, what Szirtes does not acknowledge in his article is that most of the artists and thinkers he mentions, in addition to hundreds of others he does not mention, helped co-opt Hungary's culture for decades.   Many were rewarded handsomely for it with support and grants and cushy positions in the former communist power structure.   While these artists were towing the communist line in various forms, hundreds, if not thousands, of other writers and artists were censored, arrested, or simply blacklisted.  Fidesz's push to place what Szirtes refers to as fascist writers in curriculums and supporting "patriotic" artists, most of whom were suppressed and denied a voice for decades because of communism, is anathema, but somehow keeping former communist creators and their creations in the forefront of Hungarian culture is perfectly acceptable - nay, necessary to preserve Hungarian culture.

Uh . . . okay.  

Once again, I am not against the premise of Szirtes's objection to what is going on in Hungary at the moment.  Too much government influence in the world of the arts is not a good thing, regardless of the ideology being touted. Art should always aim to be higher than either politics or economics.  What bothers me is Szirtes's slithery obfuscation of the crushing and co-opting of Hungarian culture that went on for decades long before the current ruling Fidesz government embarked upon its cultural programs. Szirtes and his merry band of culture warriors must acknowledge this rather inconvenient past if they want to their concerns about the present to be taken seriously . . . by me at least.   
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Blog and Comments

    Blog posts tend to be spontaneous, unpolished, first draft entries ranging from the insightful and periodically profound to the poorly-argued and occasionally disparaging.
     

    Comments are moderated. Anonymous comments are never published (please use your name or a pseudonym). 

    Emails welcome:

    f er en c ber g er (at) h otm   ail (dot) co m
    Blogs/Sites I Read
    Bruce Charlton's Notions
    Meeting the Masters
    From The Narrow Desert
    Synlogos ✞ Aggregator
    New World Island  
    New World Island YouTube
    ​Steeple Tea
    Berdyaev.com
    Adam Piggott
    Fourth Gospel Blog
    The Orthosphere
    Junior Ganymede

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Picture
    A free PDF is also available in My Work. 
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.