In view of the Cold War and its lingering legacy, it is difficult these days to appreciate that the Soviet Union wasn’t always regarded in the West in an extremely[…]
Those seeking advice on fine dining venues in Hungary will now be able to turn to the nation’s first dedicated Gault Millau restaurant guide, in the bookshops since last Thursday.[…]
Anyone living in this part of the world should be well aware of the importance of translation. Anyone in Hungary should be particularly aware. Very few non-Hungarians can understand the[…]
He rubbed shoulders with the great and the poor of his world. He drew crowds at public appearances in London and America. He was nicknamed “a special correspondent for posterity”,[…]
This is a collection of writings most of which have been previously published, though not always in English. As such, although they are presented chronologically in terms of their themes, beginning with Karl Marx’s era and ending with today’s global economy, there is a certain disjuncture between chapters. That does mean, however, that they can be read separately, in random order, or even skipped.
This slim volume is both charming and humorous. In addition it is simultaneously serious and thought-provoking. It takes a tour through a number of East European, former state-socialist countries – Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Romania and Albania – examining their political and social characteristics before the changes of 1989-90, and in many cases afterwards as well.
This is a collection of writings most of which have been previously published, though not always in English. As such, although they are presented chronologically in terms of their themes, beginning with Karl Marx’s era and ending with today’s global economy, there is a certain disjuncture between chapters. That does mean, however, that they can be read separately, in random order, or even skipped.
Fancy a trip along the entire length of the Danube? It’s probably many people’s dream journey, especially if it could be done on a comfortable cruise ship. But now you don’t have to go to all that expense. All you need is a nice armchair and Andrew Beattie will gently guide you down one of Europe’s longest rivers. Needless to say, you miss the direct experience but that’s partially compensated by the numerous experiences of others, whose eyewitness accounts Beattie freely draws on.
After seven years of research and writing and a Hungarian translation, Bryan Cartledge’s excellent introduction to the history of Hungary is back in print in English. “I began this book in order to satisfy my own curiosity about Hungary’s past”, he says, and the fresh edition this year should help to satisfy other people’s curiosity about the country and the region’s history.
It used to be said that British television was the best in the world. There was justification for that – but no longer. Raymond Fitzwalter explains why.What made British TV great wasn’t that it was British but that it was diverse and had high standards. The result was good quality programming which included top-class news, current affairs and documentaries, as well as impressive dramas with a wide appeal. The roots of this didn’t essentially lie with the BBC, despite all the hype (sometimes justified) which has surrounded that institution. Paradoxically it was the introduction of commercial television in Britain (ITV) in the mid-1950s that brought a fresh wave of thinking to the industry, challenging the stuffiness of the BBC and its close connections with the political establishment.
