On May 9th, while seated around tables with vases of flowers, drinking coffee and tasting the wonderful array of sweet and savory treats from the refreshment table, we enjoyed a wonderful presentation by James Pavlish. Jim was one of the earliest supporters of the Museum, but it is his love and knowledge of the magyar language and literature that caused us to ask him to present his research on Dezső Kosztolányi and Joseph Reményi, two giants in the world of Hungarian literature, one who lived in Cleveland the other who lived in Hungary. Their rich correspondence gave us a flavor of the respect these two men had for each other. We listened to excerpts from a fictional series written by Reményi that gave us a glimpse into the world of the Hungarian community in Cleveland in the first half of the 20th century. We listened to poetry written by Kosztolányi that proved to us that he was, indeed, one of the most compelling literary figures of Hungary. Part of the appeal of Jim’s presentation was in his sharing of his own experiences in learning the Hungarian language and becoming well-versed in it to the point of translating some of Kosztolányi’s poems for his presentation. Jim’s presentation was well-researched, beautifully composed and enriched with material via a powerpoint presentation that Dr. Martha Pereszlánhyi-Pintér created. One does not necessarily expect to laugh out loud during a presentation on Hungarian literature, but Jim’s material had some high points of humor, as he was able to share material with us that lightened the mood in the room. Two of Kosztolányi’s beautiful poems about his mother and grandmother were shared with the audience.
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