The World As We Knew It. Recollections of Peasant Life During the War
The World As We Knew It. Recollections of Peasant Life During the War

Summary/Abstract: This essay grew out of a lecture assignment at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. When I first contemplated the topic, I searched high and low, but could not locate a copy of Gyula Illyés’ Puszták népe (People of the Puszta), first published in 1936, which described a community similar to the one in which I grew up, located not far from mine. Thus I proceeded to write the lecture on my own. Years later, when I managed to get a copy of Illyés’ book, as I expected, some overlap between my essay and his became apparent, in spite of the fact that he describes a peasant community during the First World War and after, and my recollections cover the years of the Second World War. This overlap, I believe, reflects more than just the fact that I read Illyés’ book during my youth in Hungary. It also bespeaks the tenacity of a lifestyle, in this case not only because of traditional peasant resistance to change, but also because of the conservative, reactionary nature of the political regime in Hungary. The folk song I have quoted appears in Illyés’ volume with only three stanzas, while my memory dredged up an additional stanza, rebellious and defiant. A sign of times to come. “Uncle Gyula”, the best-loved poet and spiritual father to my generation of Hungarian peasant intellectuals, closed his essay with a dedication to those who will continue reporting the fate of our people, the people of the puszta. And I dedicate this update to his memory. His essay, by the way, has appeared in French, German, Chinese and English translations, the latter in 1967, from Corvina Press of Budapest.

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