Search results: 1848

Screening of the film Now or Never at the Liszt Institute in New York in April 2024

Sándor Petőfi Overseas — A Review of the Movie Now or Never! Screened in New York

‘I agree with those who think that historical authenticity should not be scrutinized in a historical adventure movie, because it should primarily work with exciting characters and a story that simply draws from historical events but does not aspire to document them. I still wonder where the vision of the course of history and its essential moments, mentioned by the producer, are to be found in the movie?’

Celebrating the Day of Hungarian Poetry

The Day of Hungarian Poetry, celebrated annually on 11 April since 1964, honours the nation’s rich literary heritage and the enduring contributions of its poets, both past and present. From public transport recitations to literary gatherings, this vibrant celebration unites Hungarians in a shared appreciation for the power of language and the timeless themes of human experience captured in poetry.

Internationally Recognized Hungarian Composer Péter Eötvös Passes Away at 80

Péter Eötvös, one of the most renowned composers of Hungary and also a music teacher and conductor, passed away last Sunday, on 24 March at the age of 80. During his career, he conducted Europe‘s leading orchestras, including the Berlin, Munich, London, Los Angeles, and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras as well as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

A farmer stands near a fire as farmer gather as part of the nationwide protests against agricultural policies in Plouisy, Western France on 20 February 2024.

When Green Dreams Meet Peasant Schemes

‘The protests today, like the Peasants’ War, are not merely about specific policy grievances but represent a broader disillusionment with political and economic systems that seem increasingly out of touch with the needs and values of significant portions of the population. Both movements illustrate how new social forces can galvanize widespread action, pushing societies to a tipping point where change becomes inevitable.’

Invasion of the Barbarians by Ulpiano Checa (1887)

‘That never happens in Hungary.’ True — But for How Long?

‘The fact that Hungary has to fight like hell for its right to be normal is a sign of the times. So is the fact that in America, as in almost every Western country, the borders are a fiction, our heroes are hated, our free speech is taken away from us, scientists proclaim the desirability of sculpting the genitals of children into works of art—and these things barely make news. We have grown accustomed to decadence.’

Júlia Szendrey (Sára Mosolygó) and her husband, Sándor Petőfi (Nándor Berettyán) on the evening of 15 March, the first day of the 1848–1848 revolution.

‘Now or Never’ — The Ambitious 15 March Epic that Brings the Revolution to Life

The film is a valuable contribution to keeping the spirit and memory of the 1848 revolution and freedom fight alive by transforming distant historical figures into flesh and blood people in a credible and compelling way. It deserves merit also because, in a brave move, it attributes a prominent role in the events to Júlia Szendrey, Petőfi’s wife, paying tribute to this tragic-fated woman who became a renowned poet, writer and translator in her later life.

1848 veteran Mihály Tóbiás

Tales of Veteran Faces

Old-aged men from the Great Hungarian Plain standing or sitting straight up face the camera and indirectly us, the viewers of these portraits today. What was previously only known from history books and clichéd speeches at the 15 March commemorations becomes, when seeing these pictures, the unvarnished truth, a gesture of an encounter with the past.