I've discovered the Hungarian prince of the absurd, one Örkény István. There he was, featured on the back page of my well worn issue of Time Out Budapest, staring at me with a face worn by the kind of experience only a Hungarian of a certain age could withstand. Boone mentioned reading about him a while ago...his name slipped my mind. Dean spoke briefly of his One Minute Stories....briefly intrigued, I forgot him once again. I rediscovered him and became obsessed in a bathtub full of coconut bubbles. I guess that's just my way.
It has been said that if one wishes to understand what it means to be Hungarian, to come close to understanding the Hungarian experience, one need only to read the works of Mr. Örkény. Through his writing, and I have yet to delve in as deeply as I want to, I feel as if I am beginning to understand certain cultural quirks...what seems to be numbing slackerdom might really be inertia as a result of an abyssmal fear of the Next, Big, Devastating Change. And one does feel more change is indeed a comin'. What seems to be pointless and ineffective bureaucracy might truly be a residual attempt to hold on tightly to some kind of progressive order. I dunno. But I'm seeing things in a bit of a different light, one which helps me relate to the Hungarians more than I have these past eight months.
If reading the absurdly, darkly delightful works of Örkény István effectively describes what it is to be Hungarian, then this flies in the face of the Fidesz party's recent rewriting of the Hungarian constitution, which now proclaims the country a Christian one, whose symbol is the "Holy Crown of St. István" (no relation to Mr. Örkény). The author/playwright/philospher/pharmacist/military officer/prisoner of war was Jewish, socialist, and remains a national treasure, with a namesake theatre in the seventh district of Pest (my current favorite).
Do read a bit of Örkény for yourself....his works, translated into English, read like a thrilling, disturbing harmony of Franz Kafka and Flannery O' Connor.
Remember to "Stand with your legs apart. Bend forward all the way. Look back between your legs. Thank you."
http://orkenyistvan.hu/the_grotesque
