Subject
Hungary -- History -- 1849-1867 Books
Best books
Farkas Deák
Fogságom története
"Fogságom története" by Farkas Deák is a historical account written in the late 19th century. The book recounts the author's personal experiences during a dark period in Hungary's history, specifically focusing on the political climate surrounding the arrests during 1851-1852, where many citizens were accused of conspiracy and treason. The narrative emerges from the author's firsthand perspective as one of the accused, exploring themes of oppression, resilience, and the impacts of political turmoil on individual lives. The opening of the work sets the stage for a grim recounting of historical events leading to the mass arrests of perceived revolutionaries in 1852. Deák introduces us to the oppressive atmosphere that gripped Transylvania, marked by the suspicious eyes of the authorities on anyone seen as a potential threat to governance. He vividly describes the initial panic as well as his own experiences of arrest, the subsequent interrogations, and the feelings of despair shared among fellow prisoners. The narrative conveys deep emotions of fear, confusion, and defiance in the face of an unjust system, while also hinting at the broader implications for the Hungarian nation during this tumultuous time.
Dávid Angyal
Tanulmányok
Tanulmányok by Dávid Angyal is a collection of scholarly essays written in the early 20th century. It likely brings together literary criticism and historical-political studies, pairing close readings of classic texts with arguments about Hungarian constitutional and military questions. The focus ranges from Shakespeare’s non-dramatic poetry and its Hungarian reception to debates around Deák Ferenc and the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. The opening of the volume first examines Shakespeare’s “minor” poems—Venus and Adonis, Lucrece, and especially the Sonnets—through the lens of Hungarian translations by Lőrinczi, Szász, and Győry, praising strengths, pinpointing mistranslations (notably in sonnet closing lines), and weighing the perennial biographical theories with a measured, anti-dogmatic stance. It argues that while convention shaped parts of the Sonnets, genuine feeling shines through, and it contrasts the narrative poems’ vivid sensuality with their structural limits, highlighting recurring moral sympathy for the defenseless. The next essay shifts to Deák Ferenc’s centenary and the “military question,” rebutting claims that Deák lacked international vision, defending the Compromise as aligning Hungarian and broader strategic needs, and explaining Deák’s rejection of a fully separate army. To support this, it surveys Hungarian military-legal history from the 16th to the 19th century to show that a wholly independent army has little precedent, while national elements (language, officers, honvéd) can coexist with shared command under the Pragmatic Sanction.
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