Bertalan Andrásfalvy, a Széchenyi Prize-winning ethnographer, published his previously unpublished collection of fairy tales on his 90th birthday, entitled Mátyás és a török basa. In the source volume, his tales collected in the 1950s are the first to appear in print. The volume was published by the Association of Hungarian Poets with the support of the National Cultural Fund and the Petőfi Cultural Agency.
Andrásfalvy Bertalan Széchenyi Prize-winning Hungarian ethnographer, university professor, Member of Parliament between 1990 and 1994, Minister of Culture and Public Education between 1990 and 1993. As an ethnographic researcher, he traveled the Carpathian Basin, enriching his knowledge of ethnography with numerous lasting monographs. At the beginning of his career, he visited villages and collected a significant amount of fairy tales, all of which have remained in manuscript until now. The Mátyás és a török basa – Fable Collections 1950–1963 and the accompanying audiobook were published under the auspices of the Association of Magyar Versmondók Egyesülete on the renowned ethnographer's 90th birthday
"It gives me great pleasure that - more than seven decades after my first fairy tale research - my previously unpublished collections can be published. Organizing my fairy tale texts into volumes is an old debt of mine, but since I never specialized in fairy tale research, these collections of mine could not be published over the years. I am very happy that this book can now be published after so many decades," said Bertalan Andrásfalvy in connection with the publication of the book, at the press conference organized on the occasion of the presentation.
The book was presented by Imre Lutter, the president of the Association of Hungarian Poets, State Secretary Bence Rétvári and Gábor Tóth, the editor of the volume, with the musical contribution of the performer Péter Huzella. Bertalan Andrásfalvy joined the event online due to the epidemic situation.
Imre Lutter also presented the audiobook for the volume, where you can listen to both authentic and recent recordings.
According to Bence Rétvári, living culture is needed in the 21st century, which we can all understand and experience. The State Secretary believes that it is important that our national culture defines us.
Gábor Tóth, the book's editor, Imre Lutter, president of the Association of Hungarian Poets and Bence Rétvári, state secretary. Photo: Krisztián Szennyes, Vasarnap.hu
Bertalan Andrásfalvy, as a former Minister of Culture, believed that the key to our future lies in our culture. Experiencing national culture is important not only for artists, but for everyone.
The editor of the printed volume, Gábor Tóth, said that Bertalan Andrásfalvy's collections are great treasures in today's world. The ethnographer also made recordings with storytellers born in the 1870s when no one supported him in this. These recordings would have been forgotten by now without his work.
The 45 tales published in the book come from eleven storytellers from nine settlements. Among the former narrators were also Hungarian, Gypsy, Swabian and Bukovina Székely storytellers. The volume is a missing piece of Hungarian folkloristics, which enriches the collections of fairy tales from the south of Transdanubia in the 1950s.
The importance of the source publication is enhanced by the fact that the original audio recordings of some tales from the 1950s are also available as an appendix to the virtual audio book. Those tales whose original sound recordings have not survived are given a new life in the interpretation of actors.
was published as part of the Magyar Versmondók Egyesülete Versmondók Könyvtára series, The book will soon be available for purchase in major bookstores, and is already available in the Writers' Shop and in the Vers.hu webshop. Those interested can access and listen to the audiobook after registering on the Vers.hu/matyasesatorokbasa website.
Our opening picture is of the sign. Prepared by: Krisztián Szennyyes. Source: vasarnap.hu/Ungvári Ildikó
