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Paul Lendvai

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The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat Hardcover – April 21, 2003

by Paul Lendvai (Author), Ann Major (Translator)

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The Hungarians is the most comprehensive, clear-sighted, and absorbing history ever of a legendarily proud and passionate but lonely people. Much of Europe once knew them as "child-devouring cannibals" and "bloodthirsty Huns." But it wasn't long before the Hungarians became steadfast defenders of the Christian West and fought heroic freedom struggles against the Tatars (1241), the Turks (16-18th centuries), and, among others, the Russians (1848-49 and 1956). Paul Lendvai tells the fascinating story of how the Hungarians, despite a string of catastrophes and their linguistic and cultural isolation, have survived as a nation-state for more than 1,000 years.

Lendvai, who fled Hungary in 1957, traces Hungarian politics, culture, economics, and emotions from the Magyars' dramatic entry into the Carpathian Basin in 896 to the brink of the post-Cold War era. Hungarians are ever pondering what being Hungarian means and where they came from. Yet, argues Lendvai, Hungarian national identity is not only about ancestry or language but also an emotional sense of belonging. Hungary's famous poet-patriot, Sándor Petofi, was of Slovak descent, and Franz Liszt felt deeply Hungarian though he spoke only a few words of Hungarian. Through colorful anecdotes of heroes and traitors, victors and victims, geniuses and imposters, based in part on original archival research, Lendvai conveys the multifaceted interplay, on the grand stage of Hungarian history, of progressivism and economic modernization versus intolerance and narrow-minded nationalism.

He movingly describes the national trauma inflicted by the transfer of the historic Hungarian heartland of Transylvania to Romania under the terms of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920--a trauma that the passing of years has by no means lessened. The horrors of Nazi and Soviet Communist domination were no less appalling, as Lendvai's restrained account makes clear, but are now part of history.

An unforgettable blend of eminent readability, vibrant humor, and meticulous scholarship, The Hungarians is a book without taboos or prejudices that at the same time offers an authoritative key to understanding how and why this isolated corner of Europe produced such a galaxy of great scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs.

Print length

584 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Princeton University Press
Publication date

April 21, 2003
Dimensions

5.75 x 1.75 x 8.75 inches
ISBN-10

0691114064
ISBN-13

978-0691114064
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] glorious, immensely readable book." ― Economist

"A pleasure to read. . . . Mr. Lendvai has done a remarkable job. His book is easily the best history of Hungary in English. . . . What's remarkable is how many extraordinary individuals, admirable and otherwise, we come across in this small nation's history."---Stephen Goode, Washington Times

"The writing of national histories is . . . justified by the erudition and intellectual brilliance of the [author]. To this one must add, as a special attraction, the charm, wit and healthy cynicism of The Hungarians."---Istvan Deak, Times Literary Supplement

"[R]ewarding, entertaining, and well written. . . . [F]ar more substantial than the witty musings to be found, for example, in Luigi Barzini's The Italians. . . . No one who is interested in Hungary should miss reading this book."---Nicolas Parsons, Hungarian Quarterly

"An outstanding storyteller. [Lendvai] not only presents scientifically based facts and analysis but also tells the reader a story. . .. A compact overview of Hungarian history, a wonderful collection of biographical sketches and a subtle description of the 'Hungarian temperament'." ― Neue Zürcher Zeitung

"Excellently researched and masterfully constructed, this should become a standard work. . . . The book reads almost like a novel with historical background. . . . Most warmly recommended." ― Die Presse

"An exhaustive history of the Hungarian people. . . . The author has written a sympathetic account of Hungarian history. Yet the book also exposes the blemishes along with the heroism. . . . For those interested in the history of a art of Europe that has been shrouded in mystery and cliché, it's a helpful handbook."---Anne Gyulai, The Montreal Gazette

"It is history's destiny to stare helplessly as the past's effects on facts have them act no differently on our minds and bodies than do fictions. In his loving rendering of Hungary's troubled saga, Lendvai has shown us how our knowledge and memory are a tangle of both threads."---Norman Madarasz, The European Legacy

"When Paul Lendvai, the indefatigable observer of Eastern Europe, writes a book, he has in general something exciting to relate. . . . Lendvai's book is a well-constructed mixture of historical facts, political judgments, and cultural anecdotes." ― Der Spiegel

"Lendvai has written a standard-setting work, always at the highest level of historical research yet so eminently readable, so entertaining―only a journalist out of passion with profound knowledge of history is able to write in this way. . . . Lendvai's presentation of the thousand years of Hungarian history in Europe is not only comprehensive, it is also just." ― Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Review

"This brief narrative of Hungarian history, elegantly translated into English, is written with verve, humor, profound insights, and just the right degree of cynicism. It well explains the dilemma of a respectable old state squeezed between more powerful neighbors, the contradictions between individual genius and repeated national failure, and the recurring tragic conflicts between the defense of nationhood and messianic nationalism. It is supplemented with fascinating essays on, for instance, the complexities of Jewish and German assimilation into the Hungarian nation."―István Deák, Columbia University

From the Inside Flap

"This brief narrative of Hungarian history, elegantly translated into English, is written with verve, humor, profound insights, and just the right degree of cynicism. It well explains the dilemma of a respectable old state squeezed between more powerful neighbors, the contradictions between individual genius and repeated national failure, and the recurring tragic conflicts between the defense of nationhood and messianic nationalism. It is supplemented with fascinating essays on, for instance, the complexities of Jewish and German assimilation into the Hungarian nation."--Istvn Dek, Columbia University

"When Paul Lendvai, the indefatigable observer of Eastern Europe, writes a book, he has in general something exciting to relate. . . . Lendvai's book is a well-constructed mixture of historical facts, political judgments, and cultural anecdotes."--Der Spiegel

"Lendvai has written a standard-setting work, always at the highest level of historical research yet so eminently readable, so entertaining--only a journalist out of passion with profound knowledge of history is able to write in this way. . . . Lendvai's presentation of the thousand years of Hungarian history in Europe is not only comprehensive, it is also just."--Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

From the Back Cover

"This brief narrative of Hungarian history, elegantly translated into English, is written with verve, humor, profound insights, and just the right degree of cynicism. It well explains the dilemma of a respectable old state squeezed between more powerful neighbors, the contradictions between individual genius and repeated national failure, and the recurring tragic conflicts between the defense of nationhood and messianic nationalism. It is supplemented with fascinating essays on, for instance, the complexities of Jewish and German assimilation into the Hungarian nation."--István Deák, Columbia University

"When Paul Lendvai, the indefatigable observer of Eastern Europe, writes a book, he has in general something exciting to relate. . . . Lendvai's book is a well-constructed mixture of historical facts, political judgments, and cultural anecdotes."--Der Spiegel

"Lendvai has written a standard-setting work, always at the highest level of historical research yet so eminently readable, so entertaining--only a journalist out of passion with profound knowledge of history is able to write in this way. . . . Lendvai's presentation of the thousand years of Hungarian history in Europe is not only comprehensive, it is also just."--Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

About the Author

Paul Lendvai is a leading European journalist and a senior television commentator with ORF, the Austrian public broadcasting corporation. Since 1973 he has been editor in chief and copublisher of the Vienna-based international quarterly Europäische Rundschau. The recipient of numerous prizes for his writings and journalism, he is the author of ten books, including Blacklisted: A Journalist's Life in Central Europe (St. Martin's), Eagles in Cobwebs: Nationalism and Communism in the Balkans, and Anti-Semitism without the Jews: Communist Eastern Europe (both Doubleday).

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; First Edition first Printing (April 21, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 584 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691114064
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691114064
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.75 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #207,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #33 in Australia & New Zealand History
- #208 in England History
- #2,015 in Sociology (Books)

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4.3 out of 5

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Norman Weisz

Understand history

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023

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Well written and ballanced book about a country with a difficult past and the difficulties are unfortunatly not over. To understand what is going on today one needs to have knowledge about the past, and this book is a very useful help on that journey. The history of Hungary is full of breathtaking moments, for good and bad, presented in an exelent and engaging way.

2 people found this helpful

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Istvan Nemes

Harm not the Magyars! (Zrinyi)

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2005

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I often wondered why Hungary and Hungarians have such poor public relations, particularly in the US. Unfortunately, this book fails to answer that question. It is a fascinating read, if only because it gives, (in parts) a refreshingly different perspective. In others, unfortunately, the Communist-era interpretation of the author's sources is painfully evident. The many details in the narrative are interesting, partly because the selection of the details reveals the author's biases. There are a number of translation errors I found in the book which naturally led to faulty conclusions. P.e. "Honved"(seg)(hon=home, vedni=to defend) is not the militia, it's the standing army. "Nemzet orseg," (nemzet=nation, orseg=guard) is the militia. All in all however, it was worthwhile to read through the book. It will lead those, who are not familiar with the Magyars to some understanding of the background of this nation although will leave them feel shortchanged in understanding their psyche. I sent a copy of the book to both of my (adult) children together with a 16 page commentary.It is a laudable effort on the part of author Lendvai and by and large I believe it will benefit the Hungarians' image as well.

61 people found this helpful

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L Samma

interesting and detailed

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011

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I've always been interested in Hungary and wanted to know some more history of this fascinating place. This book has been a great read - it is informative, goes into interesting detail behind some of Hungary's most famous figures and Hungary's role in the world. Having traveled in both Hungary and Transylvania, it was interesting to read about Hungarian history in that region and has helped me to understand better why there is so much tension between the Hungarian and Romanian populations in places like Targu Mures. It was also nice to get to know the people behind the names I saw so much in Hungary - for instance, there were about a billion streets named after figures like Kossuth, Szechenyi and Eszterhazy. I had no clue who the Ezsterhazys were until reading this book. I wish I had read this book before my trip!

I love books that are both informative about history and told in such a compelling way that it is hard to put the book down. This is one of those. It is also one of those books that you are sad to finish. What can I read next to top that fantastic book?? Highly recommended.

12 people found this helpful

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A. Long

Interesting book. good coverage of some topics, but almost entire omission of others.

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019

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This book takes what could almost be described as a literature review of the history of Hungary. The author appears to have no interest in his own version of Hungarian history, but instead spends much effort on devoting explanation to what previous scholars and historians have written of events in Hungarian history. In some regards, this makes for interesting reading, as it combines in one tome many views of different events. On the other hand, this results in a book that feels incredibly imbalanced. Issues like the early Hungarian state, the first mongol invasion, St. Stephen and Mathias are given short shrift, often with only a few pages dedicated to them. This seems odd given both their importance to Hungarian history. Indeed, the period of fortification between the first and second mongol invasions isn’t even mentioned, nor is the second invasion itself.

Conversely, the period of Ottomoan rule is covered in chapter after chapter after chapter despite comprising only around 150 years of time. It is unclear if this overweighted treatment is due to the author’s peculiar interest in this time in Hungarian history, or if it is instead a result of his chosen method of chronicling other sources (in other words, an abundance of other sources about this time period gives the author more to write about). In any event, as mentioned, it leads to a feeling of imbalance regarding the historical timelines.

Another complaint (entirely on Amazon) is the numerous spelling and grammatical errors in the kindle version. English not being the first language of the author already leads to some sentences with slightly awkward or confusing construction. Throwing in misspellings caused by the book’s conversion to a digital format (again, not the author’s fault) can compound that confusion and leave the reader guessing as to what was really meant.

16 people found this helpful

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Peter Aradi

Excellent overview of Hungarian history

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2021

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Considering the fact that the author is a journalist and not a historian one should not anticipate an academic history. Read as an introduction and overview for non-specialist, this is an excellent book, perhaps even the best English language publication of recent years. Having shared a life history similar to the author's, except I lived in the United States for the last 60 years, I can relate and share his opinions on our Hungarian roots.

3 people found this helpful

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B. Smith

But I was amazed by what I didn't know about Hungary

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2015

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Read this prior to a Viking cruise down the Rhine and Danube. Very detailed history of Hungary. I am visiting Budapest soon and wanted some history about the place rather than just a guidebook view of sites to visit. This one may have more with detail than you need to inform your travels. But I was amazed by what I didn't know about Hungary. I guess I hadn't previously given the place much thought. This covers the period from Celtic occupation of the area BCE to post-communism.

4 people found this helpful

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Matt K.

Far from perfect, but the best I've found

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2018

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It's not perfect, and especially in the beginning it loses itself in mixed attempts to balance between myth and documented history and critical distance and national sentiment, in the process bringing more confusion than clarification, but after the first 100 pages it does improve and eventually ends up being the best comprehensive history of Hungarians that I've come across.

7 people found this helpful

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The Philistines

Excellent History book that reads like a novel.

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2008

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I have been studying Hungary for over a decade and this book was still able to introduce new insights to me. An easy read and it came off more as a novel than a history book. It just flowed. What's more, I know some Hungarian historians and I found the book excellent fodder for cocktail conversations.

15 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amber

Delivered as ordered

Reviewed in Canada on January 17, 2024

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Looked fine, as described, gifted it for Christmas present, they seemed happy

JFS

Interesting and instructive.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2023

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Absorbing survey of Hungarian history.

Barbara Mate

It’s interesting if your into Hungarian history

Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2021

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I am Hungarian and I enjoyed reading what happened a long time ago.

Helga Hopkinson

The history of the Hungarians

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2014

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This is a fascinating account of the development of the state of Hungary. The country has shrunk from a giant of a nation to a dwarf, When you read about its history you recognize the benefit skilled immigrants can bring to a nation. Hungary had a skilful economic policy way back, we are only just talking about it in Britain now and we are still not entirely convinced.

2 people found this helpful

Suzanna

Fantastic details.

Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2023

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Great book. An impressive summary of the Hungarians. Highly recommend it to anyone who does not know much about the history of this unique small but fierce nation.

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The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat Hardcover – April 21, 2003

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