Arany, Jókai és Petőfi kultusza a Vajdaságban

Among Hungarian writers, Arany, Jókai, and Petőfi are among the most cultic figures; celebrating the round anniversaries of their births and deaths has been a duty since the 19th century. The specific traits highlighted during these celebrations reveal more about the celebrants (and their era) than about the authors themselves. The cult of these three 19th-century authors in the territory of present-day Vojvodina – this is how Ferenc Németh geographically localizes his research area – has been shaped by a whole series of social formation and imperial changes. Ferenc Németh’s choice of subject is therefore fortunate, important, and interesting all at once: under such circumstances, the determination of the cult’s developmental history by the course of history is particularly perceptible and can be made perceptible. In his research, Ferenc Németh reviewed material spanning over a century and a half. In the case of all three writers, he traces the development of their cult back to their visits to Vojvodina during their lifetimes, their connections with local writers and cultural institutions, and/or the Vojvodina-related aspects of their works. The chronological approach clarifies how the system of criteria for the cult of Arany, Jókai, and Petőfi developed before Trianon, in the interwar period, and after the Second World War. It also becomes clear that the period since the Second World War cannot be treated as a uniform era: the years following the end of the partisan war favored the cult of the militant Petőfi much more than that of Arany or Jókai. A particular merit of the study is that it also reports on the Serbian reception of the three authors.

Mihály SZAJBÉLY