Caught In The Middle

On a recent visit to Melbourne, a colleague casually pointed out a sports stadium, saying that it was the only building left of the 1956 Olympics held in that city. It was the swimming arena, she said. I was momentarily stunned – even though I had been to Melbourne several times before, including on holiday, I had never thought to see if the venue of the greatest water polo ever, still existed. And apparently it was still there, the sole remaining venue of those Olympics 54 years ago.

Anyone with a Hungarian connection will understand the significance of the venue: it was the scene of the so-called ‘Blood in the Water’ match in which Hungary defeated the Soviet Union in the semi-finals of water polo.  The clue to all this is the date: the match took place on 6 December 1956, a month after the Soviet Union crushed the Hungarian revolution. It is not hard to imagine the atmosphere that must surrounded the event, with the Hungarians,  far away from their home, which was been torn apart by the Soviets. The crowd that day was decidedly partisan, there many local Hungarians present, plus, Americans and Australians who had no love for the Soviet Union. It was a rough affair from the start but when the Hungarian player, Ervin Zádor was punched in the eye by a member of the Soviet team and emerged from the water with blood streaming down his face, the crowd erupted. Officials fared the worst and called the match off with Hungary leading 4-0. The headlines the next day read, ‘Blood in the Water’, and the legend was born. Hungary went on to win the gold medal, beating Yugoslavia 2-1.

The match has recently been captured in two films: ‘Children of Glory’, includes a re-enactment of the ‘blood in the water’ match whilst a documentary ‘Freedom’s Fury’ reunites players from both sides who tell the story of the ‘bloodiest game in Olympic history’.

Today the venue is known as the Westpac Centre and is the home of the Collingwood Football Club and the Victorian Institute of Sport. It was closed when I made the trek there but I am not sure it is open to the public as such. However as you can clearly see, the glass facade with its distinctive vertical panes in the background of the photo of Zádor, are clearly visible today. The original pool itself is gone, judging by photos of the inside. I hope there is a plaque somewhere in the building commemorating the events of 6 December all those years ago.

As I stood opposite the stadium, taking the photo above, and thinking of that match, and those young men so far from home, an unmistakable sound caught my ear. Two young mothers, their young children in strollers, walked passed me, talking to each other. At that moment, I caught the oh so familiar sound of Hungarian being spoken. A chill went up my spine and I smiled. Hungarians, you just can’t get away from them.  Then, something must have got into my eye I guess, as I couldn’t see quite so clearly.

Thirteen years ago, in 1997, we lived in Budapest, in the district of Újpest, at 63 Munkásotthon utca. It was a special time in our lives and one that I have many fond memories of. Or at least I do now! Our apartment, on the third floor, was the base from which I began my exploration of Budapest, and Hungary. From this address we would walk the kilometre to the main underground railway station at Újpest and then onto to Budapest and beyond. Now, through the wonders of the Internet I can see again the apartment building we first lived in and take the same walk to the underground railway station.

I have been waiting for Google Streetview to “arrive” in Hungary but I now see that eXtreme Soft Group S.R.L , a Romanian company, is providing the first “street-level imaging” service for Eastern and Central Europe. I can re-explore the streets and places I once did all those years ago. The world has shrunk indeed.

For a full-screen view click on the small red square in the top right-hand corner of the photo. You can explore from this link as well: http://www.norc.at/pano/gVTYmF4k/.

The 2009 Hungarian Press Photography Awards have been announced. The overall winner is a stunning series of Roma (Gypsy) grieving by the Hungarian photographer Béla Szandelszky. My favorite is the one of three woman grieving. The site is in Hungarian but Google translate does a reasonable job (to English anyway). And of course there is the inevitable Flash navigation to come to grips with. This means it is very hard to link to the actual photos themselves, but perhaps the point. Nonetheless this form of navigation is an irritant.

All the photos demonstrate that the rich tradition of Hungarian photography that includes André Kertész, Robert Capa, László Moholy-Nagy and Marton Munkácsi to name but a few of the greatest photographers of last century, is very much alive and well.

Indeed the Szandelszky series marks almost a century of Hungarian ethno-photography when Kertész began photographing local villages, Roma and Hungarian village, and urban, life in general.

First up, this book deals with a very important issue: the rise of the far right in Hungary and the potential danger it poses for both Hungary and the wider European Union. The premise of this political thriller is what if the Nazis had actually won World War II and had spent the subsequent decades building an infrastructure based on such things as a common currency to manipulate the political and social forces to support the current rise of far right political parties in Europe. An intriguing idea, and one that does resonant with what is happening in Hungary today, including the increase in anti-Roma prejudice, virulent antisemitism, and the rise of para-military organizations like the Magyar Garda, here named the Pannonia Brigade. These are important issues that need to be confronted and addressed. Any student of Hungarian history should be concerned at the rise of the far right and the blatant and unashamed prejudices exhibited by far too many politicians in present-day Hungary. The issue here is does this work of fiction deal with these issues in a worthwhile and effective manner. Is this novel the best way to raise awareness of these vital issues? In my view, this novel fails to do so effectively and is a flawed attempt to confront these issues through the vehicle of a political thriller.

There are several reasons for this point of view. One is the writing which, in my view, is overly explanatory. By that I mean, appears written for those who know nothing of Hungary and therefore needs to explain everything as if the reader is completely ignorant. For example, the Ngyuti railway station is referred to both by its Hungarian name and its translated name, the Western railway station. It is either one or the other. Likewise the the use of accents on Hungarian words is inconsistent. For example, the main character’s grandfather is written as “Miklos” where as the poet of the same name is correctly referred to as “Miklós Radnóti”. Silly, I know and the author indicated that this was due to the cost of publishing. I accept that cost is a factor but it is symptomatic of poor editing throughout the novel. For example, YouTube is written as “You Tube” and the Russian composer is referred to as “Rimsky Korsakov”, without the hyphen. Again, the author said these were simple errors and should as such be over-looked.

Another example of this “over explanation” was the author’s need to explain exactly what a “honey trap” was. Well, any reader of spy thrillers should know what this refers to, and if they don’t, it should be inferred from the text. Instead the author feels the need to spell out, through one character’s conversation, that it is, “When one side uses a sexually attractive woman to ensnare a target, either for purposes of blackmail or to extract information”. I don’t recall Graham Greene or John Le Carré having to be quite so obvious in their explanations.

It may sound like I am more critical of the editor of this novel, rather than the author. Perhaps, but it is the author who takes the brickbats or bouquets, so he is ultimately responsible.

I was also intrigued by the inclusion of a select bibliography at the end of the novel, as I was with the inclusion of a section entitled, “Staying Anonymous on The Internet”. Does this suggest a desire to inform as much as to entertain? It struck me as odd and unlike most novels I have read.

But a deeper criticism is the underlying assumption of the novel: that is, that a small, dedicated group of nazis somehow manipulated economic, social and financial events for their nefarious purposes. For example, the Euro, or common European currency, is portrayed in this novel as a tool in the nazis’ attempt to control European affairs to their advantage. How different is this from the view of the far right who blame the woes of Hungary on a small, cabal of “cosmopolitans”, i.e. Jewish, financiers? The view that a small group of individuals, be they nazis or Jews, somehow control and manipulate modern day commerce and politics is, in my view, absurd. In a curious manner, the author almost gives credence to world-view of the far-right by positing that the opposite is true: we are being manipulated by a small group of fascists, rather than the view of current day European fascists that we are being manipulated by a small group of “cosmopolitans”.

As I say, the issues raised in this novel are very important and need to be confronted. But as a work of fiction, The Budapest Protocol is, in my view, fundamentally flawed and should be judged accordingly.

The Budapest Protocol, by Adam LeBor.
Catalogue Details

Title THE BUDAPEST PROTOCOL
Author Adam Le Bor
Price £11.99
Publication Date May 2009
ISBN 9781906702120
Format Trade paperback
Classification Fiction
Extent 235 pp
Rights English language X Canada

The President of Hungary,  László Sólyom, visited Wellington on Sunday, 27th September as part of a four-day visit to New Zealand.  The last time the President of Hungary visited New Zealand was on 1999 when Árpád Göncz came to our shores.  I don’t want to write a lot about Sólyom’s visit or about what he said, or what he did.  Sólyom is a somewhat controversial figure in Hungary and especially so given the toxic political environment there and he carries a reputation for being somewhat austere and remote almost.  This is especially so in comparison to Göncz who was known affectionately in Hungarian as Árpi bácsi, which is the avuncular form of his name.   And my memory of him was exactly that: the delightful, charming uncle of the family. He took an immediate fondness to our children, Zsófi and Gábor, when he met them we have a charming photo of him sitting on a couch, the children sitting either side of him, his arms stretched around each of them.  Mind you, when Göncz had visited Melbourne, Australia, prior to coming here, one or two Hungarians had shouted “rat” at his speech to the strong local Hungarian community – a reference to his alleged informing on his fellow prisoners while in the Vác prison as a result of his anti-government activities in 1956. So as with anything Hungarian one must always be mindful of the shadows.

But back to Sólyom and his visit to Wellington.  The highlight was a state luncheon in his honour, held in Parliament and hosted by the New Zealand government and the Magyar Millennium Park Trust, the organisation that manages the Hungarian Garden here. In a short ceremony at around noon, he laid a special paver in commemoration of his visit here and then proceeded, on foot, to Parliament Building, some 300 metres away, entourage in tow.  The lunch was a success.  There were speeches of course, but all were relevant, short and worth listening too, including that of course by His Excellency. There were also performances by various members of the local Hungarian community.  The President was especially taken with the performance of the local children’s dance group and at the end of their performance gladly posed for a group photo with them. He looked genuinely happy to do so.

His speech was warm and to the point.  Hungarians should preserve their culture and stick together as much as possible.  He spoke in Hungarian but he had an interpreter for the English-only amongst the audience.  ( I must say that the interpreter was  sublime.  He managed to convey the President’s words in perfect English with a warmth and sincerity that was appreciated by everyone.  I understand he has been the English interperter for several Hungarian Prime Ministers and it is easy to see why. He is the best.)  Sólyom was keen to hear of practical suggestions as to how Hungarians so far from their homeland can maintain their “Hungarianess” and offered to make himself available to those at the luncheon who wished to talk with him.  And this he did.  Many came up to him, spoke their piece, had their photograph taken with him, and moved on.

I was most impressed indeed at his openness and good manner in which he took it all.  I am sure he gave many who spoke with him a good listening to.  Anyone who knows Hungarians, will know that they are not shy about speaking their mind, not matter whom they are speaking with!  The point here was that he made himself accessible to any and all who wanted to have a few words with him.  Good on him, I say!  He may not seem that charismatic on television or other media, but in person he came across as a warm, caring man. Perhaps he is not quite Laci bácsi^[1], but nonetheless he is clearly a good man.

I am glad to have been part of his visit, and glad that he visited our shores, the most distant of any from Hungary.

Footnotes

Back to post. ¹ László is the same as Leslie in English. It is probably of Slavic origin because in Czech and Russian the equivalent is Vladislav. In Hungarian the diminutive, Laci or Les in English, is most commonly used for anyone called László.  Bácsi means Uncle so Laci bácsi literally means Uncle Les, but somehow in Hungarian, it sounds and means something much more affectionate and avuncular.