Stephen Sisa : The Spirit of Hungary

The first edition of The Spirit of Hungary was published in 1983 by the Rákóczi Foundation through a grant from Ontario's Wintario Project within Canada's multicultural program. It covered the saga of the Magyars up until the crushed Revolution of 1956.

It was an international success that sold out four printings within a year. The Spirit of Hungary was updated in 1990 to include the astounding events which changed the political landscape of East-Central Europe with the Magyars playing a crucial role in the downfall of Communism.

The updated and expanded Second Edition was published in the United States by Vista Books with the assistance of Messrs. Joseph Hamvas and William B. Aykler, directors of the former publisher. To satisfy continuing demand, in 1993 a second printing of the book was published, only to be sold out by the end of 1994. This success has made the present re-publication and updating of The Spirit of Hungary a moral obligation, all the more, because since 1990 developments of paramount importance took place in the countries dealt with in PART V; titled A Nation Without Boundaries.

Affected by these changes was Hungary, too, where the Antall government has been replaced by a Socialist-Liberal coalition in the summer of 1994. The year of 1995 marks the 75th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon, commemorated by Hungarians the world over as the worst tragedy ever to hit their nation. This is bound to cast a shadow on the festivities planned in 1996 for the 1100th anniversary of Hungary's birth.

It was a grotesque grimace of history that between 1991 and 1995 the Treaty of Trianon itself has become a shambles, due to actions not by its victims, but by its beneficiaries who, while changing the political landscape, left the status quo of Magyar minorities frozen in Central Europe.

In this new, updated edition of The Spirit of Hungary, the author throws light upon the historical perspectives of Yugoslavia's self-destruction, the split-up of Czechoslovakia, the take-over of Carpatho-Ruthenia by the Ukraine, and the continuing struggle of Transylvanian Magyars for ethnic survival, threatened by extremist parties in Romania. A new sub-chapter titled A Victory That Wasn't deals with Hungary's situation beclouded by almost unbearable foreign debts, and perpetual anxiety over the fate of Magyar minorities in the Carpathian Basin.

My task in writing the various editions of this book was facilitated by the valuable cooperation of several advisors and friends such as Professor Edward Chászár at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Stefan Taubinger of Rio de Janeiro, a political expert on Central Europe, and István Csicsery-Rónay, whose polyhistoric knowledge further helped assure my writing's accuracy. The publication of this updated edition has been made possible partly by the generosity of The Emery & Ilona E. Ladányi Foundation (Louis Szathmáry executive director, Chicago).

For editorial assistance I would like to thank Elizabeth S. Várnai, whose exceptional logic and talent for organization were indispensable in finalizing the present and past editions of the book.

Last but not least, I must thank my dear wife, Elizabeth, without whose support and tolerance through these years of preparation I could hardly have finished this book.

Summer, 1995, Virginia, USA

Seeks to illuminate the spirit of Hungary and bring out the soul of people through biographical close-ups. It succeeds with a lively, fast-paced narrative abundantly enchanted by hundreds of engaging illustrations, numerous maps and a plethora of apt quotations... Re-commended

Library Journal 4~15/91 USA

The spirit in which the author tells the story I would call national, as distinct from nationalistic,.. Sisa's positions are always sanely balanced as he attempts, and usually succeeds, in viewing these emotionally loaded matters from a proper historical perspective. He treats other sensitive subjects, like the alleged fascist nature of the Horthy regime, or Hungary's "Jewish problem" with the same judicious restraint and evenhandedness. In what it attempts to accomplish, this book has no competition.

HISTORY-Reviews of New Books,

Winter, 1992, Washington. DC,

This is the best, most comprehensive one-volume history of Hungary in print... It fills for the first time a vacant niche on the bookshelf of history.

Roger Goodman,

Hungarian Heritage Review, Union. NJ USA

The most remarkable book in English on the history of Hungary... A factual, well-researched yet entertaining volume. It also provides an excellent view of the important achievements of world-renowned Hungarian scientists, artists and musicians.

Robert A. Heller, Ph.D.

Professor at VPI State University, VA. USA

A substantial, attractive and carefully compiled book that fills a gap in projecting Hungary's image to the world. Brings the past up close and clear.

A. C. Klay,

Columnist for Liberty Media, Washington, DC

A magnificent book. Nothing like it has ever been published in English about Hungary.

Albert Vass,

Editor, Central European Forum

Stephen Sisa : The Spirit of Hungary