Culture

The Radical Vision of FreeSZFE at Yale University

The Radical Vision of FreeSZFE at Yale University

On January 27, Yale University Library held a Zoom conference on “Art, Education, and Protest in Hungary: The Radical Vision of FreeSZFE.”  In September 2020 the entire faculty and students of the Theater and Film University went on strike and occupied their building to protest the privatization of the University by the government, the transfer of national assets to a […]

by · February 6, 2022 · Culture
Cziffra and his wife Soleika

The Orbán-regime rewrites the memoirs of pianist Georges Cziffra

Viktor Orbán and most of his Fidesz party leaders started their careers as promising young Communist leaders.  Today they are staunch anti-Communists and have rewritten their life stories.  Now they have also rewritten the life story of pianist Georges (György) Cziffra. The piano virtuoso was born one hundred years ago in Budapest.  Hungary allocated 500 million forints (EUR 1.4m) celebrating […]

by · November 17, 2021 · Culture
Larger (and stranger) than life.

Budapest Pride? Munich 1938? No, it is Saint Stephen’s Day 2021 in Budapest

Half-naked body-painted men are pulling a giant aluminum Turul bird on Budapest streets.  Shamans, elk-costumes and a Greek female phalanx are marching.   Bystanders are scratching their heads.  What is going on? August 20th is Saint Stephen’s Day in Hungary. It is the celebration of the foundation of the Hungarian State.  It is also known as Constitution Day, the end of […]

by · August 27, 2021 · Culture
Judit Varga (left)

Justice Minister Varga attacks Lewis Hamilton for his condemnation Hungary’s “cowardly” anti-LGBTQ+ laws

I pinched myself when I read the very personal (and very public) attack by 40-year-old Hungarian Justice Minister, Judit Varga, against 36-year-old Formula One race car driver superstar, Lewis Hamilton.   Is she serious?  Attacking Hamilton’s character and competence because he condemned Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ legislation? Here is this strange story. British-born Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and eight-time winner of […]

by · August 2, 2021 · Culture
The tragic life of Hungarian American film star Charlie Puffy (Huszár Pufi)

The tragic life of Hungarian American film star Charlie Puffy (Huszár Pufi)

As part of our series on lesser known Hungarian Americans, we introduce Charles Puffy, the oversized silent-film-era comedian who became popular in the US in the 1920s. Charles Puffy was 40 years old when he arrived to the US in 1924 and soon became a household name.  Although he barely spoke any English, he frequently appeared in US tabloids and […]

by · June 24, 2021 · Culture
Queer Budapest 1873-1961

Queer Budapest 1873-1961

The publication of Queer Budapest 1873-1961 by Anita Kurimay fills a gap in the history of homosexuality in Hungary. This is the first book in English dealing with the history of homosexuality in Hungary and Ms. Kurimay places the story in the context of Hungary’s turbulent history. At the dawn of the 20th century, Budapest became a growing cosmopolitan metropolis […]

by · May 20, 2021 · Culture
From Ferenc Andai’s memoirs to Ottoman expansion and Hungarian revolt — An invitation to two roundtables

From Ferenc Andai’s memoirs to Ottoman expansion and Hungarian revolt — An invitation to two roundtables

The Hungarian Studies Association of Canada is hosting a book roundtable discussion and a book launch as part of its annual conference, held under the aegis of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, and moving forward in a virtual format this year. While other sessions of the conference are open to registered members, the two book sessions are […]

by · May 19, 2021 · Culture
The Benedictine Abbey at Tihany with the Lake Balaton, Hungary in the background.  Photo: ilovebalaton.hu

An HFP contributor and his winemaking past featured in The New Yorker

András Göllner’s son, Adam Leith Gollner, wrote a long-form essay for The New Yorker entitled “Does Your Wine Really Taste Like Rocks?” with a focus on vineyards and wines in Hungary. The piece, at times quite atmospheric and lyrical, takes off from the land of memories, before weaving its way through the mysteries of wine. The author’s father owned a […]

by · May 6, 2021 · Culture
March 15 National Day in the time of the Coronavirus

March 15 National Day in the time of the Coronavirus

On March 15th Hungarians commemorate the Revolution and the War of Independence against the Austrian-Hapsburg rule in 1848–49.  Normally, on this day there are commemorations and family programs all over the country and in Hungarian communities all over the world.  In Budapest the main event takes place on the steps of the Hungarian National Museum just like on March 15, 1848. Today […]

by · March 15, 2021 · Culture
Gábor Iványi in 2019. Photo: Facebook

Hungarian faith communities that suffered discrimination finally receive good news

The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship, a Methodist community led by Reverend Gábor Iványi, was one of two faith groups to receive positive news this week. The other community is a Buddhist organization called Dzsaj Bhím (Jai Bhim), which ministers to the Roma minority and operates a school. After having been stripped of both their status as a church and of their right […]

by · February 3, 2021 · Culture