Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary

Our aim in writing this book was to introduce the world to artefacts that represent eternal value. The mass of objects produced by today’s mass...

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Miklos Saranszki and Beata Bacso
Miklos Saranszki and Beata Bacso

Miklos Saranszki was born in 1955 in Hungary (Budapest). He spent his childhood in the environment of his uncle, a world-famous violin maker and art collector Pal Saranszky, where he came into contact with several Hungarian painters.

He later graduated from Godollo University of Agricultural Sciences. He also worked as an agricultural engineer in Tunisia, Morocco and Israel. In the meantime, he developed the ability to understand art, which he learned with his uncle. Inheriting his uncle's art collection, he further increased his collection, which is located in his farm in Sajovelezd, in a picturesque environment. 

His livehood is based on his farming, which is based on a French Limousin beef cattle herd. His farm is a national demonstration and educational farm, an accredited practical training centre of Szent István University. 

His passion as a collector was not only focused on works of art, he is also very interested in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and its relics from the First World War. He has a museum of photos and slides from that historical period. The farm also has a library of 1,200 books, including also first editions of all of Molière’s works, from Isocrates in 1560.

His wife, Beata Bacso was born 1967 in Hungary (Debrecen) who is also the co-author of this book, she is a cultural historian and currently a PhD student at the Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies, who is engaged in the research of the hungarian-jewish writer Frigyes Karinthy, about which she published a book and several scientific articles. She supports her husband in his work as an art collector with his knowledge of cultural history, as she defined the scientific framework of this book as well.

Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary

Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary

Our aim in writing this book was to introduce the world to artefacts that represent eternal value. The mass of objects produced by today’s mass production, serving the insatiable desire to consume, only gives people the illusion of value creation. The depreciation of objects has accelerated in today’s empty world, because they only have value at...

or
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On the border of the modern and the postmodern: Frigyes Karinthy’s existentialist concept of the “responsible man”

Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies, Doctoral School of Jewish religious studies, Budapest

Abstract: In my dissertation, I would like to explore Frigyes Karinthy’s philosophy hidden in his literary work, and to prove that he created a specific independent bourgeois, existentialist philosophy, which is rarely seen in the history of Hungarian philosophic thought. In my research, I use an interdisciplinary method (using philosophy, religious philosophy and literary...

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Praise

Rewiew of Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary" by Miklos Saranszki and Beata Bacso.]
5 out of 5 stars
When I first came across this book, I knew I had to read it. It contained everything I love: history, art, and a chance to learn something new. Cultural pogrom in twenty-first century Hungary did not disappoint. Before getting into the bulk of my review, I'd like to provide my rating, which is 5 out of 5 stars.

The book first lays out the precarious government of Hungary. It talks about the current political climate and how the leaders of what could be a great nation, rich in culture and history, are dooming it by making it fall prey to greed and power. Resources are divided and hoarded, and free thought, individualism, and creativity are silenced or suppressed, giving way to people who do not even know of the treasures they possess.

This then segues into the main point of the book. We are told of a raid that occurred at our author's home, where police confiscated numerous works of art from our author's family collection under the guise of them being fake, and our author is accused of fraud. We are taken through the court case against him and why he believes the accusation to be false and the case to be heavily manipulated.

The author then explores every individual piece of art that was taken from his home. We learn of the artist's history, artistic style, similar works, relation to Hungary, and why the author believes it to be an authentic piece and therefore not a fake. The author explains his reasoning through research and also provides us with the opposing stance and their beliefs.

I enjoyed every minute of this book and cannot think of anything negative to say. Not only was it immensely educational, but it was thought-provoking as well. I would never have given a second thought to a small European country like Hungary; however, after reading this book, I have a newfound appreciation for it and, more importantly, for its exceedingly talented artists. The author's plea to the world to help recognize Hungary's artists and not allow their culture and art to be drowned by the government is gut-wrenching. The writing is clear, easy to understand, and easy to follow. It portrays the author's voice quite well and invokes much emotion, namely anger, curiosity, injustice, and sympathy. I was glued to the book; I loved learning about all the different Hungarian artists and seeing their works for myself. The editing seems to be professionally done, as I came across no errors.

Please be advised that this is not a work of fiction but rather an actual story based on real events. It is the author's answer to the charges laid against him. I highly recommend reading this book, especially for those with an interest in art, history, European history, and politics.

– Ambar Gill

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