Revolution in Hungary: The 1956 Budapest Uprising [Hardcover]

Erich Lessing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2006

Erich Lessing's landmark photographs of the Hungarian Revolution, published to mark the 50th anniversary of the uprising.

On October 23, 1956, what began as a mass rally in Budapest quickly evolved into the Hungarian Revolution. Within days, millions of Hungarians were supporting the revolt. It lasted until November 4th when it was crushed by Hungarian Security Police and Soviet tanks and artillery. Between 25,000 and 50,000 Hungarian rebels and 7,000 Soviets were killed, thousands were injured, and nearly a quarter of a million people left the country as refugees.

Erich Lessing was the first photographer to arrive in Hungary, and he documented the short-lived uprising and its aftermath in a series of world-famous photographs, reproduced here in stunning duotone. They bring to life once more the hope and euphoria of the first days of the revolt, so soon to be followed by the pain and punishment of its brutal suppression. 230 duotone illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the October 1956 Hungarian revolt against Soviet domination after World War II, this imposing volume contains powerful black-and-white photographs taken during the years preceding as well as the outbreak and crushing of the uprising by a German member of the international photojournalist cooperative Magnum. Introduced by Lessing's recollections and Hungarian French historian Francois Fejto's precis of the momentous events, the pictures appear in three chapters, "Communist Hungary," "The Revolution," and "The Failure." Hungarian novelist George Konrad's intense impressions of the time, during which he carried a rifle as a revolutionary young intellectual, follow the first chapter, and French political scientist Nicolas Bauquet's assessment of the revolt's impact on Western Europe's Communist parties, the USSR, and subsequent European history follows the third. Views of the cemetery in which the uprising's martyrs are now buried conclude the book elegiacally, and brief last words by Lessing and the director of Hungary's Institute 56 indicate who may forget what happened and why the rest of us should always remember. An extraordinary document. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

A member of Magnum and the winner of numerous awards for his work, Erich Lessing lives in Vienna. His introduction to the book records his memories of those days in Budapest. Political journalist François Fejto writes about the political and historical background; novelist Gyorgy Konrad tells of his personal experiences during that period; and historian Nicolas Bauquet discusses the aftermath of the revolt and its repercussions in the Western world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (October 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500513260
• ISBN-13: 978-0500513262
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 12.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hungarianjedi, August 23, 2007

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hungarianjedi - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Revolution in Hungary: The 1956 Budapest Uprising (Hardcover)

The book is rather large, so difficult to read as a historical text, and may arrive slightly damaged at the corners due to its size.

It's a good coffee table book or discussion piece, rather than an official historical review of a difficult period in Hungary. The photographs are plentiful, but if you are looking for photos or armor "in action" during the revolution you will likely be disappointed as most of the photos are of politicians, people and places. There are however, some photos of T34-85s and T-54/55s.

If you are looking for historical photographs of the events leading up to, during and after the revolution this is a great book. Some of the pictures may be disturbing to some, but that is one of the advantages of the book: it paints the revolution as it was, painful, messy and with casualties on both sides.

If you are interested in photography or historical photographs, this book may also be for you. It would also be a good book as an accompaniment to a more readable historical text.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book in Honour of the 50th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, January 10, 2007

By 

Marie A. Mikolich (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revolution in Hungary: The 1956 Budapest Uprising (Hardcover)

For anyone with any connection to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, this is a must have book. The photographs of this important event(really the begininng of the end of communism behind the iron curtain)tells the story not only in the subject matter of tanks etc but also by the expressions on people's faces. Some tell of the hardship endured under a repressive regime and other's jubilation that freedom had been won (unfortunately for only a short few days). At long last there is a book telling the Freedom Fighter's Story!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent collection of photos from the uprising in 1956, June 3, 2007

By 

Living in Budapest "livinginhungary" (Budapest, Hungary (originally Ann Arbor, MI)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Revolution in Hungary: The 1956 Budapest Uprising (Hardcover)

The photos in Revolution in Hungary really give a good look at the events in Budapest in 1956. This is a nice sized book approx 12in x 12in. As a current resident of Budapest and someone who is gradually learning Hungary's history, I really appreciate the numerous photos in this collection. The essays are also well written giving a very good overview of the uprising and the writers' impressions of the 1956 uprising. One additional note, as of this writing Revolution is only $10 + Free Super Saver Shipping. This is a steal at $40 less than the listed price. I highly recommend this book for those with an interest in the events in Hungary in 1956.