that Awful HunGARIAn language

Transcription

1 57 That Awful Hungarian Language Enzensberger, the globetrotting German poet, once complained that Hungary was the only country with Latin script that he had ever visited where he couldn t make out even a pharmacy sign. He was right: pharmacy is gyógyszertár in Hungarian. This monster of a word was coined, together with hundreds of others, to save the country from permanently becoming Germanspeaking, as it almost did during the first two decades of the 19th century. And miraculously, Hungary did manage not to become another Ireland a small country with old lively arts and literature, but without its own language. By the way, the official language of Hungary until 1844 was not German, but Latin. Literacy in Latin was widespread in the educated classes and lingered on for another hundred years until the otherwise beautiful Russian language was forced on Hungarian schools. One can learn how to read Hungarian in half an hour (its spelling is logical), but a lifetime is too short to understand it, let alone speak it. It is not an Indo-European tongue: it belongs to the Finno-Ugric family of languages. Finnish is a distant relative, but is totally incomprehensible to us. If you look at a Hungarian book you will see lots of diacritical marks, two of which, ő and ű was, for many years missing from the IBM standard character set, which made life hell for Hungarian computer users. On average, every sixth Hungarian letter is accented in some way or other though only the vowels (which can be long or short). Consequently it is still possible to write metric poetry, or hexameters, in Hungarian. In English, or Modern Greek, for instance, it is not. Hungarian poets are well aware of this. Though there are only three tenses present, past and future Hungarian conjugation is incredibly tricky. There are two separate sets in each of the three tenses: the transitive set and the intransitive set. So when I want to say I read a lot or I am reading, I use one set. I use the other set when I read something

2 58 That awful hungarian language György Tibor Szántó, historian, publisher, translator, godfather When you tire of the constant traffic noise and the window shopping which is inevitable on Erzsébet körút, you might want to find some peaceful island nearby with benches for tired walkers. Rescue is at hand! Please turn to the right at either Barcsay or Wesselényi utca (with your back to Blaha Lujza tér) and go one or two blocks. You cannot miss Almássy tér, a triangular square that serves as a playground for the young and the youthful, and as a green park for the elderly. The parkgoers must all live in the picturesque surrounding late-19th/ early-20th century apartment blocks that were built in styles ranging from mock-gothic to art deco. The man who gave his name to this surprisingly colourful and well-proportioned, small-town-like square is Pál Almássy ( ), who was a hero typical of the 19th-century landed gentry. The statue in the middle of the square, however, is of Antal Csengery (János Csiszér, ), another hero of that same ardent period. He is regarded as the father of public schooling in Hungary. He brought education to the lower-middle-class, that is, the young people who had to start work at the age of 18. Take your time looking around Almássy tér. Note the houses once designed for petty bourgeois families in this definitely working-class neighbourhood. If you happen to find an open gateway, take a peek at the pretty, hundred-year-old staircases with wrought iron railings and amazingly shaped floor tiles (even on the circular foyers popularly referred to as gangs ). Each house is subtly different from the next. The smell that comes from the kitchens, though, is identical throughout and must also be a hundred years old. The southern part of the square is, in fact, a short pedestrian street (Almássy utca) with wooden benches and some thirsty-looking greenery in graffiti-covered containers. The pavement here is for children to draw on. BUDAPEST BESTS in particular. Students with an English background will find it strange that the imperative is the most complicated business to put together. For most foreigners, Hungarian is intriguing, if not barbaric in sound. Eva Hoffmann, an American author, talks about the utterly perplexing sounds of the Hungarian language, with its Bartókian syncopations and sensuousness. She continues: Even when they speak English, Hungarians manage to transport some of the off-rhythms and softness of their own

3 That awful hungarian language 59 language into that flatter tongue, English, and give it strange, lunar resonances. Do we? The only good news for the very obstinate is that there is no gender for nouns and that word order is quite free (or, as experts say, fluid ). A word will carry slightly different meanings in different positions, however. This freedom, needless to say, is due to the unusually rich morphology of the language. If you take a closer look at any Hungarian book you will see very long words, most of them divided at the end of lines. Believe me, Hungarian is not an ugly language. Here is the list a great Hungarian poet, Dezső Kosztolányi ( ), made of what he thought are the most beautiful words in our language: láng (flame), gyöngy (pearl), anya (mother), ősz (autumn), szűz (maiden), kard (sword), csók (kiss), vér (blood), szív (heart), sír (grave). Interestingly his favourite words were the short ones in this language where words tend to be three syllables long. The Most Important Hungarian Words Yes No Thanks Hungarian Nice (in most sentences) Can I Have a Glass of Water? Red Wine White Wine Naff Igen Nem Köszönöm Magyar Szép Kérek egy pohár vizet Vörösbor Fehérbor Ciki

4 60 That awful hungarian language Twelve Commonplace Sentences You Can Make Us Happy With A mai napig jól emlékszem arra, amikor az önök arany csapata 6:3-ra legyőzte az angolokat a Wembley-stadionban I clearly remember when your Golden Team beat England 6 3 at Wembley. (This only applies to senior citizens, since it happened in 1953.) Szeretnék Szentendrére elmenni, hogy megnézzem a világhírű Kovács Margit Múzeumot. I want to get to Szentendre, to visit the world famous museum devoted to the art of the late Margit Kovács. (Kovács was a ceramist practically unknown abroad.) Mihály Ráday, former television anchorman, landmark preservationist, crusader. BUDAPEST BESTS At Least Adopt a Horse! that was our slogan in We were trying to raise funds to give a facelift to the Városligeti körhinta with a four-page colour brochure. We managed to find some old pictures, so a remake of the almost entirely stripped façade and the dome (which had been pulled down after World War Two) was well underway. We also had plans to reproduce the carved gates which had been replaced by hideous aluminum ones: an act worthy of a prison sentence for the perpetrator. It was the British ambassador at the time, Sir John Birch, who gave the campaign its first push. My mission in Hungary will be over in six months. Before I leave I would gladly contribute five or six hundred pounds to the restoration of something of value in Budapest, he had once told me. If you have an idea, don t hesitate to tell me. Not much later I called him and asked if we could meet in the Amusement Park. The ambassador climbed on the körhinta. We had a great ride. I told him that the old name of our amusement park had been the English Park until the Communist coup in the late 1940s. Then I made my pitch. With the help of his one million forints, we could

5 That awful hungarian language 61 Maga sokkal jobban tud angolul, mint én magyarul. Your English is far better than my Hungarian. Úgy hallottam, hogy a magyar diákok szokták megnyerni a matematikai diákolimpiát. I ve heard that Hungarian students tend to win the Mathematical Olympics. (It used to happen, but recently education experts have been rather preoccupied with declining average standards.) A magyar nők nagyon csinosak. Hungarian women are very pretty. Budapest rengeteget fejlődött, mióta itt jártam. Budapest has developed a lot since I was here. start planning the real work, I told him. Thanks to Sir John Birch and all the other generous donors, today the old körhinta is just as beautiful as in It was he who taught me the charming British word merry-go-round. Hungarian anglophiles tend to use the word carousel, since that was the title of the American musical version of the celebrated play by Ferenc Molnár. Originally entitled Liliom, it s a sentimental comedy about the love of a merry-goround operator and a servant girl. Have you inspected the comely frescos of the körhinta? Have you noticed the hand-carved and hand-painted torch-bearing angels, the chariots, the ships and the magic steeds? Have you noticed that every single horse has a distinctive face and features and that their leather saddles were made by craftsmen 100 years ago? You haven t? It s high time you went to look. Otherwise, if I m asked what to see in Budapest, I tend to suggest two things not available to the west of us: Turkish baths and Hungarian art nouveau. Visit the Király Baths, Rác Baths or the Rudas. Then off you should go to Pest, where you can admire Ödön Lechner s yellow ceramic bees heading for their hives on the walls of the former Post Office Savings Bank (which is today s State Tresury, see Walk Two).

6 62 That awful hungarian language Nagyon szép ország Magyarország. Hungary is a very pretty country. Hogyan tudott a kis Magyarország ennyi Nobel-díjast és nagy tudóst adni a világnak? How could little Hungary have given so many Nobel Prize winners and other great scientists to the world? (Most of them were Jewish Hungarians who emigrated to America because of the anti-semitic and anti-intellectual climate in the 1920s.) A magyar boroknak alig van párja a világon. Hungarian wines have hardly any rivals anywhere in the world. (Unfortunately they do however. Wines from Chile and Australia are the most obvious ones.) Az 1920-as trianoni békeszerződés tényleg nagyon igazság talan volt, de most, hogy bent vannak az Európai unióban, egész Európa az önöké lett, az összes tengerekkel. The Versailles Peace Treaty of 1920, which made Hungary much smaller, was really very unjust. But now you are in the Union, and all of Europe has become your own, with all of her seas. (Hungary in the Middle Ages was even bigger than it was in It is difficult for Hungarians to accept the small country status even if her neighbours are getting smaller and smaller.) Fantasztikus, hogy Budapest megint a kávéházak városa lett! It is great that Budapest has become a city of cafés, again! (True, no doubt.) Szépek a magyar bankjegyek! How nice Hungarian banknotes are! (This is a downright lie. They are to disappear in the mid 2010s.)

7 That awful hungarian language 63 Budapest is a great and remarkable city, with many uniquely and singularly naff things. However, the author is well aware of the fact that over-using the word naff is naff in itself. A Budapest guest of his, a great Australian professor advised to drop the word naff altogether. Unfortunately, the author could not. A serious description of early 21st century Budapest needs that term.

8 236 Andrássy út and Városliget Walk FOUR parts start moving. If there are only a few passengers, only every second gondola can be used. Apart from the modern rides and games, two landmarks shouldn t be missed. One of them is the carousel, which was built in Children, some not so young, go mad with indecision over which ride to choose: the fiery horse, the luxurious triumphal coach or the spinning box? There is a fresco above the animals and the operator peeps out from behind the organ. It was restored to its original splendour in 1997, with donations from the then British Ambassador and others. (See Budapest Bests, by Mihály Ráday, page 60.) Another highlight is the roller coaster which is made entirely of wood. Every year about 100 cubic meters are replaced so that every six years the whole track will be rebuilt. There used to be a third legendary place: the enchanted castle. It burnt down in the early 1980s and all of Budapest mourned. A new, postmodern one was built by two contemporary architects, Ferenc Török and Antal Puhl, in During the last years of totalitarianism in Hungary the park was a place very much on the decline. In the 1989 edition of this book, I wrote the following: The slot machine hall has probably the most worn out American and Soviet machines in the world. If one breaks down, you must turn to one of the gentlemen wearing a blue coat chatting in the middle of the hall. He will open the machine but usually just shake his head and say play it on the other one, and point to a similar machine. There are no more slot machines in the park, but you can find the biggest and only Laser Dodgem to be found in Europe, which is the biggest in the world, as the park claims. The park is quick to follow new gaming trends. A Goalstriker game was installed in 2004, in which anyone can strike penalties against a virtual goalkeeper. Invented in 1998 by a 19 year-old Briton, 20 games have since been installed around the world so Budapest players can play against those in Mexico, Canada and Cyprus. The place has been enchanted by the low-tech and high-tech alike. Ask for a map at the gate. The zoo needs a bigger space, so the Amusement Park will be relocated in a reasonably short time. Its new place is not known yet. The protected old buildings will stay where they are no doubt about that. Széchenyi Baths (Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda) 30G XIV. Állatkerti körút 11., open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (the medicinal part until 7 p.m.), except for some public holidays. The Széchenyi (nicknamed Szecska [ setchkah ]) is one of Europe s two largest public bath houses and is visited by about two million people annually. It consists of

9 walk 4 ang 2006/11/22 17:40 Page 159 Andrássy út and Városliget 237 WALK FOUR 159 Széchenyi Baths Széchenyi Baths The Older Part (1913) imagined could exist.) The façade and the copper roofs were beautifully restored in two separate parts, which are two different worlds of architecture attracting interior shows two different a very modern types use of regulars. of space. Walk The entrance around hall the is The northern wing (by Imre Francsek) was opened in 1927, and its neo- Baroque largely building in its to original see the condition; southern the wing. additions The stone-clad (such as the medicinal soft drinks machines) baths there would were seem the to first be glaring to be mistakes; built (Győző at best Czigler they emphasize and Ede the charm Dvorzsák, of the original ). The atmosphere, The building always is one busy, of is the quite most different relaxed here from ones that built of the at other turn wing. of Behind the century. the entrance The main hall there entrance s is a battered dome but lively has a restaurant, huge art from nouveau which mosaic you can inside. see the The pools. floor You tiles, have the to pay light for a full day. But if you leave earlier, you are refunded. For that you have to fixtures, the door frames, and all of the other fittings were produce both slips you were given when entering. made with exceptional care, and were all restored by In winter the pools are reached through a heated corridor. The water temperature You can in also the large walk pool to the is 27 left degrees or to Celsius, the right, in the as warm-water far as the two pool 38 degrees side domes. Celsius. This is where the luxurious private thermal bath tubs are located. The numbers chalked on the doors show A unique local sport is featured here: water-chess, which is played on floating what cork time chessboards the occupant but which started follows his the bath. normal This rules. was Around an ideal 2000 an adventure place to refresh pool was for added a student (in the in the left early pool). 1970s, You can after study nights the way Hungarians not spent relate home, slight in a adventures marble tub they that might one had temporarily not even have. imagined to could it. (You exist. have to And, go there it still and is. treat yourself in the pool to understand They stick what The I mean ) northern wing, which was built by Imre Francsek, The opened Millennium in 1927 of the and Hungarian its neo-baroque state was celebrated interior in demonstrates 1896 with a huge a exhibition, modern which use of took space. up the The whole entrance area of Városliget. hall is largely A popular in its attraction original the condition. Millennary Additions Exhibition was such a group as the of soft temporary drink buildings machines set would up with of the purpose of showing the various architectural styles of those 1,000 years. seem to be glaring mistakes which at best emphasize the charm Some of these were copies of real buildings. This mixture of buildings, however of the absurd original the idea décor. may It s now always seem, busy met with here, such and success the atmosphere that the city authorities is quite different commissioned than a that stone of version the other to be wing. built Behind after the the exhibition. entrance Its popular hall there name is is: a battered but lively restaurant from where you can see the pools. The Széchenyi has three outdoor and twelve Walk FOUR

10 238 Andrássy út and Városliget indoors pools. The outdoor section has been open since 1963, and the pools are reached through a heated corridor. In the middle outdoor swimming pool bathing caps are required. The right outdoor pool is very hot, while the left one is an adventure pool with various surprise elements that alternate every 15 minutes. The water temperature in the large outdoor pool is 27 degrees Celsius and in the warm water pool it is 38 degrees Celsius. This is where you will see the much-photographed games of water chess, which are played in the warm pool on floating cork chessboards. Of the flood of notices in the main entrance hall, those written only in Hungarian tell where to find the complaint book and specify who can be subsidised to use the baths and on what conditions. You must pay for a full day entrance pass, but if you leave earlier you are partially refunded. In late 2007 police reported that a huge fraud was unveiled in this and other baths in which groups were given individual tickets, but they were let in ( for speed reasons ) through the handicapped gates, and the tickets were then re-sold. Water for the hippos in the nearby zoo has been traditionally provided from one of the Széchenyi s hot springs since it shows a close chemical resemblance to the water of the river Nile. A rest Szent István Fountain Pavilion NE of Széchenyi Baths Walk FOUR The millennium of the Hungarian state was celebrated in 1896 with a huge exhibition which took up the entire Városliget. A popular attraction of the millenary exhibition was a group of temporary buildings which demonstrated the various architectural styles of the previous 1,000 years. Some of these were copies of real buildings. This mixture of buildings, however absurd the idea may now seem, met with such success that the city commissioned a stone version of one of the buildings to be built after the exhibition. Its popular name is the Vajdahunyad Castle. Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad vár) 30H 31A One of the main attractions in Városliget is this castle, part of which was modeled after a Transylvanian castle of the same name. The complex consists of four parts: the Romanesque, the Gothic, the Transitional and the Renaissance/Baroque. This bizarre notion was carried out by Ignác Alpár, an exceptionally talented and imaginative architect. The building, which gives a fairy tale

11 út 31 A Vajdahunyad Castle B Petôfi Csarnok Metropolitan Youth Centre C Fuit stone D Former Metropolitan Museum (1885) Andrássy E Statue of George út Washington and Városliget 239 Városligeti körút 31 A Paál László út B út Paál László E Zichy Mihály D C Olof Palme sétány Vajdahunyad Castle 30H 31A XIV. Városliget. Part of this was A Vajdahunyad Castle D Former Metropolitan modelled on a Transylvanian castle of that name by the architect Ignác Alpár (finished by 1904). The complex consists Museum of four (1885) B Petőfi Csarnok main parts: the Romanesque, Metropolitan the Gothic, Youth the Transitional E and Statue the Renaissance/Baroque. of George This bizarre Centre notion was carried out by an architect Washington of exceptional talent and imagination; the impression is fairy-tale rather than kitsch. Naturally, no two C turrets Fuit Stone are the same, yet the many contrasting forms seem to work together as a whole. In winter the boating lake is turned into an ice rink. The permanent stone building was built for the Agricultural Museum, which still impression occupies rather Castle. than Opposite a kitschy the main one, entrance was completed is one of the in most popular Naturally, statues in no Pest, two that turrets of Anonymus; are the same, was the yet first the medieval many Hungarian contrasting forms but his seem epoch-making to work together work was as modestly a whole. signed The with per- the chronicler, words manent that stone appear building on the pedestal was built of the to statue: house GLORIOSISSIMI the Agricultural BELAE REGIS NOTARIUS ( the notary of the most glorious King Béla ). This would Museum, be sufficent which had still not occupies four kings the been castle. called During Béla in the the 12th winter and 13th century. the boating His identity lake surrounding is still disputed the by castle scholars. is turned The sculptor into an has ice given him rink. a hood Opposite so that the his main face cannot entrance be seen is the (Miklós statue Ligeti, of Anonymous, 1903). one of the most popular statues in Budapest. He was the first Petôfi medieval Hall Hungarian 31B XIV. chronicler, Zichy Mihály but his út 14. epoch-making This youth centre work hall, was in a converted exhibition hall, was opened in It is now the stronghold of modestly signed with the words that appear on the pedestal of Hungarian rock and pop music. But it also has a Saturday and Sunday fleathe 1903 statue: GLORIOSISSIMI BELAE REGIS NOTARIUS ( the notary of the most glorious King Béla ). This would be sufficient had not four kings been called Béla in the 12th and 13th centuries. His identity is still disputed by scholars, and the sculptor, Miklós Ligeti, has given him a hood that hides his face. Walk FOUR

12 240 Andrássy út and Városliget Petőfi Hall (Petőfi Csarnok) 31B XIV. Zichy Mihály út 14., This converted exhibition hall is a youth centre that opened in It is now the stronghold of Hungarian rock and pop music. But it also hosts a flea market on Saturdays and Sundays, theatrical performances for children, a roller skating club and a Saturday evening disco. During the summer there is an open-air cinema, a new-wave fashion show, underground theatrical performances, disco-dancing competitions and a hair show. In brief, it caters to and has caught the imagination of the young who flock to it. Upstairs, airplanes are exhibited which come from the nearby Museum of Transport (only open from spring to autumn, as the rooms are not heated for some reason). István Rév, historian, maverick political scientist, true son of Buda BUDAPEST BESTS Walk FOUR Following the imposing wall fence on busy Kerepesi út, not far from the monumental Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station), turning at the corner of Salgótarjáni út, unexpectedly and without forewarning, the city comes to a dead-end. The walled fence along Kerepesi út borders the Kerepesi cemetery, the pantheon of the Hungarian people, but along Salgótarjáni ut, the wall protects the hibernated Jewish cemetery, one of the best-kept secrets of Budapest. The Jewish cemetery opened in 1874, as the representative burial place of one of the largest and richest Jewish communities of Central Europe. The size of the mausolea matches the enormous size of the cemetery: there is no single burial place in Central Europe where the size of the funerary structures could be compared to the mass and height of the mausoleums and crypts of this Jewish necropolis. The ruined medieval castle with the grates on the gate was designed by the eminent and unique modernist architect, Bela Lajta, who was the architect of the square-shaped mortuary behind the entrance. The dome of the mortuary collapsed almost half a century ago; there is only one preparation room with one large, undamaged, red marble table; and the fireplace, where water was heated is still standing. The shape of the half-collapsed mortuary can be recognized; it looks as if it were the ruins of a Babylonian fortress temple of the imagination. Above the entrance to the mortuary there is an inscription in Hebrew, a line from Psalms 90,3 with Art Nouveau fonts: You return man to dust; You decreed: Return you mortals!.

13 Andrássy út and Városliget 241 The Statue of George Washington 31E XIV. Városliget, Washington sétány (at the lake). According to American statistics, 3.5 million immigrants from Austria Hungary arrived in the United States between 1871 and Half of them were Hungarians, but many others came from Bohemia hence the old American slang word, Bohunk. The funds to erect this bronze statue of George Washington, made by Gyula Bezerédi in 1906, were collected by the Bohunks. This was the first fullfigure statue of Washington in Europe. Palace of Arts (Műcsarnok) 32D XIV. Dózsa György út 37., www. mucsarnok.hu, open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday noon to 10 p.m. The Műcsarnok The number of the dead and the graves reached almost the full sanctioned capacity of the place before 1945; burials, with a few exceptions, ceased already before World War II. The cemetery was forgotten, perhaps this is why it survived. The Jewish cemetery survived but not the monumental structures. In the past seven decades, the peace of the dead was not honoured: almost all the graves were opened and robbed; not only the living Jewish community was decimated but the community of the dead Jews as well. Once, the cemetery was like a modern metropolis of the dead with three four-story high Art Nouveau or Art Deco mausolea in the proportion of skyscrapers. They were carved from white or black marble, designed by daring, experimental, modernist architects and sculptors. The resting place of the enormously rich Budapest Jewish aristocracy members of the upper middle class, the bourgeoisie, politicians, artists, and intellectuals once looked as the silent counterpart of the Gründerzeit, the last third of the 19th century, the time of the frantic construction era of the Millenary Celebrations in the second half of the 1890s. The colossal monuments are comparable to the building of the Fine Arts Museum on Heroes Square, or the enormous building of the Hungarian Parliament. The grave robbers, the elapsed time and nature, however, did their job: all the monuments are ruined or opened. Nature took over. Compared to the Jewish cemetery at Salgótarjáni út, the world-famous Jewish cemetery in Prague is just a toy, an illustration, a theme park of long-dead Jews. Trees and men do not grow together said Kaa, the half-deaf rock-python in the jungle. Here, where Budapest ends, although we are still in the city, massive trees grew over the ceiling of colossal marble monuments; flowers, evergreen, moss cover the ruined structures, nobody knows where death ends and the life of nature starts; who perished and what is being reborn. Walk FOUR

14 Contents On Being the Invisible Host: a Preface 9 The Cow and the Social Safari (An Introductory Metaphor for Serious Travellers) 13 A CITY for those who want to come soon 17 A Crash Course in Budapest 21 Choosing a Place to Stay 39 Finding Your Way Around 43 That Awful Hungarian Language 57 Some History 67 A CITY INHERITED for those who are HERE 83 The Walks 87 Walk One: The Castle Area and Váci utca 93 Walk Two: The City and the Víziváros Area 131 Walk Three: Gellérthegy and the Old City 173 Walk Four: Andrássy út and Városliget 211 Walk Five: Millennium Quarter, Along and Behind the Nagykörút 249 For Serious Addicts 283 A CITY TO ENJOY for independent VISITORS 297 Eating Well and Not Too Much 301 Art to See, Art to Buy 319 Going Out 329 Gay and Lesbian Budapest 341 Reading: On the Spot and Take Away 349 Running Amok in Budapest Egghead Society 361 A Helping Hand For Hosts with Special Guests 369 THE INGREDIENTS Index 391 Bibliography 406 Photo Credits 412