Page 32 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Hungary

30  INTRODUCING HUNGAR Y A POR TR AIT OF HUNGAR Y  31

Famous Hungarians Hungary, so far, has bagged
four Oscars: The Fly (1980), a
For a relatively small nation, a surprisingly large number short animation film by Ferenc
of Hungarians have made a name for themselves Rúfusz; Mephisto (1981), by
worldwide. They include inventor László Bíró, who István Szabó, and András
Nemes-Jeles’ Son of Saul (2016)
gave the world the ballpoint pen, and composer both won Best Foreign
Ferenc Liszt, a Hungarian so famous that it was once Language Film; and Kristóf
quipped “he must be Austrian”. His namesake, the Deák’s 2017 short film, Sing.
late Ferenc Puskás, remains the country’s greatest Hungarian visual artists have
sports star, revered by football fans. In recent years, often attracted international Ferenc Puskás, the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time
numerous Hungarian sports stars, inventors, actors Tony Curtis playing escapologist Harry acclaim, from architects Miklós goals against England at for her country, winning five
Ybl and Imre Steindl – respon-
and artists have received international acclaim. Houdini in the 1953 film sible for Budapest’s stunning Wembley in 1953 were crucial Olympic gold medals between
Opera House (see pp92–3) and to his side’s 6–3 win – only the 1988 and 1996.
Music and Literature sensational international career. Film and Visual Arts Parliament (see pp84–5) second time England had ever László Papp was the first
She regularly headlines at the respectively – to the trio of lost on home soil. Puskás was boxer to win gold medals at
In music, the most prominent opera houses of London and Hollywood has been a Secessionist painters Lajos on a tour of Spain with Honvéd three consecutive Olympic
Hungarian is Ferenc (Franz) New York and often performed successful stamping ground Gulácsy, János Vaszary and football club during the 1956 Games, a feat he achieved from
Liszt, born in 1811. His under the baton of Budapest- for Hungarians since before the József Rippl-Rónai, whose revolution (see p49) and refused 1948 to 1956. In 1965 Papp
repertoire of beautiful yet born Sir Georg Solti, one of the advent of the talking picture. works inspired a generation of to go back to Hungary. He was on the verge of competing
technically complicated greatest operatic conductors Indeed, two of the great Post-Impressionists worldwide. signed to Real Madrid, and led for the world middleweight
melodies betray his first of the 20th century. pioneers of cinema were both More latterly, contemporary them to three European Cup title when the Communist
love: playing the piano. Hungarian literature born and raised in Budapest. painters Margit Anna, Lajos triumphs. He became a government revoked his permit
While Liszt is regarded has barely made an Adolph Zukor founded Sváby, Tibor Palkó and Zoltán Spanish national and played to travel abroad, thus
by most Hungarians impression on the Paramount Pictures and Szabó have been making waves a number of international ending his career.
as a composer world, a result of its produced the first full-length on the international art scene. matches for Spain. Hungary has a long
first and foremost, often impenetrable feature film, The Prisoner of Before football brought history of producing
outside Hungary he language. The 19th- Zenda (1937), and Vilmos Fried Sport Hungary to the world’s chess champions.
is known simply as century poets Mihály fled Hungary for Hollywood, attention, athlete The most recent
the greatest pianist Vörösmarty and changed his name to William For a period in the 1950s Alfréd Hajós had is the prodigious
of all time. After Sándor Petőfi are Fox and founded Fox Studios. Hungary was the greatest been the country’s Judit Polgár, who,
spending much celebrated more Silver-screen heroes Johnny footballing nation on earth, finest sporting aged 15, became a
of his life touring Soprano Éva Márton for their activity as Weissmuller, the first cinematic although it never actually won ambassador. Hajós grandmaster in
France, Germany, revolutionaries than Tarzan; Béla Lugosi, the original the World Cup. Defeat in the won Hungary’s Chess champion 1982. Polgár is the
Austria and Britain, Liszt for their poetry. In the 20th screen Dracula; and Leslie 1954 final to West Germany first ever modern Judit Polgár highest-rated female
retired at the age of 50 to century, while Hungarian-born Howard, whose most renowned remains a national tragedy. Olympic gold medal chess player in the
Rome, where he joined the novelist Imre Kertész received role was his portrayal of Ashley The team captain was the for swimming at the 1908 world (a title once held by
Franciscan order and spent the Nobel prize for literature in Wilkes in Gone with the Wind legendary Ferenc Puskás, Olympic Games in London. her sister, Zsuzsa). She beat
the rest of his life teaching 2002, only Ferenc Molnár, whose (1939) – all had Hungarian nicknamed “the Galloping Several swimming pools Anatoly Karpov in a speed-
the piano. He died in 1896, work Liliom (1909) was adapted roots to one degree or another. Major”. Officially an amateur, and thermal baths in Hungary chess tournament in 1992, an
while in Germany attending into the musical Carousel So too did the late Hollywood he had the rank of major in the are named after him. More achievement that makes her
the Bayreuth Music Festival. (1945), has achieved anything legend Tony Curtis. One of Hungarian army and possessed recently, Krisztina Egerszegi the only female ever to defeat
Liszt was succeeded as resembling worldwide fame. Curtis’s best remembered a prolific left foot. His three has excelled in swimming a reigning world champion.
Hungary’s finest musician by films is Houdini (1953), a
a man whom he inspired from biopic of another Hungarian, Hungarian Inventors
afar: Béla Bartók. Born in 1881, escapologist Harry Houdini.
Bartók was one of the founders Arguably the greatest It is perhaps in science and technology that Hungarians have
of ethnomusicology, the study Hungarian in Hollywood, most excelled, and the ballpoint pen (invented in 1938) is probably
of the ethnography of music, however, was Manó Kertész the best known of their inventions. Known as the biro, the pen
as well as being a pianist and Kaminer, who, under the was named after its inventor, László Bíró. A more controversial
composer. Less celebrated anglicized name Michael inventor was John von Neumann, a child genius who worked
internationally is the work of Curtiz, directed the legendary as a binary theoretician before becoming a member of the
Ferenc Erkel, who wrote Bánk Casablanca (1942), a film in US government’s atomic bomb programme, the Manhattan
Project. The mathematical projections von Neumann computed
Bán (1861), Hungary’s rarely which Peter Lorre, master of the with another Hungarian, Edward Teller, were crucial in the
performed national opera. It sinister and another Hungarian, development of the hydrogen bomb. A third project member,
was made into a film in 2002, played a film-stealing cameo. John Kemény, was co-inventor of BASIC computer language.
and featured Éva Márton, Less celebrated for their work, Other Hungarian inventors include Tivadar Puskás, who built
Hungary’s highly acclaimed but notorious for their The colourful Rubik’s Cube puzzle, the first European telephone exchange, and Ernő Rubik, who
soprano. Márton achieved fame countless marriages to leading renowned the world over in 1977 gave the world the fiendish Rubik’s Cube.
at Budapest’s State Opera in the Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952), Hungary’s Hollywood men, are Zsa Zsa
1970s before embarking on a best-known novelist Gábor and her late sister, Éva.

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