About our latest books

The sky above the town Várpalota – Photo book of the "Objektív" Photo Club (2020)

(You can find this book in our catalogue here)

Foreword

Dear Reader!

You are holding a special book in your hand because of we have never publicated such an album which was based not on documents about Várpalota. This is a strange to me since so far have lived and nowadays are living too in Várpalota excellent photographers. Now this long missing book has finally been completed. In the book there are works of nine photographers, who are all members of the "Objektív” Photo Club. The head of the photo club is Edina Kavecz. I have long been waiting for the publication of such a book in Várpalota - as an informed person in publishing and local history of Várpalota. A tender was announced in 2018 and in this context, this old plan could have ben realized. We needed a good photo team and a good team leader. This is a "Objektív” Photo Club, which works for 2018 and maintains a close relationship with the Krúdy Gyula Town Library. Lately we have been organizing together an event named “Day of Hungarian photography” to present works and talent of local photographers. First, in 2017 could our visitors meet Edina Kavecz’s exhibition titled “Concert photos, then in 2018 their common exibition titled “Crew D. or rethinking Krúdy”, and in 2019 an exhibition titled “The end days of a power plant” in Community House of Inota where they presented the current state of the closed “Power Plant of Inota”. We are planning again to organize a common exhbition in connection with the commemeration of Trianon in the framework of “Town Days of Várpalota” - if the epidemic situation allows.
Even the first half of the book is special as the title says: “The sky above the town of Várpalota”. The photos you see here can’t show me much new anymore about the buildings shown here but the clouds with a unique an unrepeatable arrangement and celestial phenomenons are miracles which we can no longer see again, only in these pictures. Maybe it wasn’t just angels like Wim Wenders’ who helped our photographers? Anyway, the captured moments were recorded unearthly experiences. Let’s remember, from now on if one of photographers of Várpalota “wears his nose high” then it means that he isn’t an arrogant person but he is looking for his topic in the sky.
In the second half of the book we get a little closer to the ground and we can notice the miracles on earth under the sky if we are walking in Várpalota with our eyes open. There are among them eye – catching or thought provoking which are definitely allegorical. Our town is a wonderful place and it is a sin if we don’t show it to the world: “ Come here, we are waiting for you as we are open.”
This book showcases the talent and performance of local photographers for the benefit of the whole community. Várpalota became richer by this publication. I hope this is not a one – off case but the beginning of the process because I think, the town residents and members of the photo club deserve to celebrate themselves with such an artistic quality album.
Thanks for the support to the self – government of Várpalota, to major woman Márta Campanari-Talabér and to everyone who helped make the book appear.

Várpalota. 31. July 2020.

Yours sincerely:

László Budai
Head of library

Ad libitum – Antology of the "Krúdy Gyula" Creative Circle of Poetry (2020)

(You can find this book in our catalogue here) 

Foreword

Dear Reader!

László Széki–Patka quoted the following thoughts by Géza Páskándi in 1996 in the introduction to anthology “For my 16. birthday”. These could also be the motto of this book: “The professional artist is an everyday, permanent artist. The amateur artist is the casual artist, because for him the creation is an intimate pleasure, actually familiar. It goes without saying what I mentioned several times: the most talented, the most determined and the most promising of the amateurs can move to the other category. They become semi – professional or professional artists. And those who still remain there? Their role will not be negligible as an understanding, sentient audience and a good audience in the world of artistic spirituality....Also partly formed from them such an important circle of art lovers. Of them who have alredy tasted the love of art on some level or in their best moments into the real creation...” 
Since I read about the initiative of the previous head of library Imre Könczöl about the “Circle of Poetry Friends of Várpalota”, I also matured the idea of creating a circle of writing. I needed a fit personality who could form artistic people into teams. Our collegaue Erzsébet Éltető came to us in 2015 and I could entrust this task to her. She came to us in March and we have the “Leave a sign on the world” writing competition alredy announced in May. In just two months, more than 60 entries were submitted by enthusiastic applicants from Várpalota and the surrounding area. By this time it was alredy certain that there was a need for literary self – expression in our city within the framework of a club.
In my opinion the culture of a real city includes this kind of creative activity and it necessary to keep count of amateur and semi-professional writers, too. I agree with Géza Páskándi and I think that this is the only way to develop a local community that understands literature and is proficient in the spirit world. What else could the cultural organization be if it were not? So I view the work of my collegue Erzsébet Éltető as a cultural mission.
Our circle of writers includes many different personalities and people with sensitive souls, and this can be seen from the published poems and short stories. Only such a magical individual like Zsóka can run such a club – for half a decade now. Since the formation of the circle of writers we have cherised the plan to publish an anthology of selected poems and writings by members. We are very happy that this has finally become possibly for us, because
this book is a testament to the creative and linguistic expressiveness of local writers.
Thanks are due to the city government for supporting the creation of the book. The title of the anthology is a reference: ad libitum or “as you like”. This term is usually used in musical works when some of the instruments of the band may even be left out, if this does not otherwise change the overall effect. So turn the pages of this book as you like!

Várpalota, 31 of July 2020.

László Budai

Inota – Reading book (2020)

(You can find this book in our catalogue here) 

Foreword

Dear Reader!

You are now holding a book in which we review the history of Inota from ancient times to the present days. Some of our role models such as Jenő Faller, Lukács Dani, Rezső Szíj and Dezső Csajági dealt with the local history of Inota as part of their work. We can read this writings in this publication. There are dry historical descriptions and they are supplemented by imagery. Most of the pictures are collected by Gábor Szili.
From now on it is enough to take this book off the shelf and delve into it to know more about history of Inota. This fills me with satisfaction.
Following writings on the ancient past we can read press texts about 1950s and the period since. The book cannot miss the “Thermal Power November 7” which has become a symbol of an entire era, the philosopher Béla Hamvas, who worked at the thermal power as a warehouse worker, the Aluminium Smelter of Inota and the Housing Estate “Készenléti”. 
Then we can read articles about the regime change, or the 1996 plan of detachment from the city of Várpalota, and finally about some events in Inota, which was organized in connection with a projekt “Role models of Várpalota”. We will write about this period in detail at the future.
At the end of the book can be read geographical and vineyard names of Inota, and names of people who received the city awards – as the village can be proud of several such individuals, then we can scroll pages of the photo gallery. We can see between them Reformed pastor and honorary citizen Dezső Csajági, teacher Zoltán Pápay from whom a street was named, former Chatolic teacher Jenő Pécsy, honorary citizen Lajos Egerszegi who participated in the 1956 revolution, József Völgyi and László Pottornyai. There are old school group photos, family pictures on which may appear several friends, relatives or ancestors.
I thank to the city management, especially the mayor woman Márta Campanari-Talabér and representative local self – governing Beatrix Petneházy for their support. I thank to selfless citizens of Inota who were solicitous about our publication.
Special thanks to Gábor Szili for the many photos and informations about the past and recently. I am grateful to Albert Kuncz local history researcher for his technical assistance and not least to János Valczer for his patient while the book was made.
This book was made about the projekt the “Role models of Várpalota”. The object was to propose for myself to pay reverence to our ancestors and to express my respect to noble – minded village community of Inota.

Yours sincerely:

László Budai
Head of library
Local history researcher

István Galambos – Additional data of the history of the 1956 Revolution and War of Independence in Várpalota (2016–2017)

(You can find this book in our catalogue here) 

Summary

Várpalota was occupied by Soviet forces on the 21 st of March 1945, which was the 26th anniversary of the annunciation of the first proletariat dictatorship. This date meant the beginning of the second proletariat dictatorship. 
The town became a highlighted playground for constructing socialism. Várpalota became an economical and political paradigm of the second proletariat dictatorship. Importance of the coal mines in the Várpalota industrial basin because of the enforced compulsory industrialisation and the coal mines because coal was needed for heavy industry heating and transport. The town was transformed into one of the citadels of socialist industry. Coal mining was comparatively cheap and of large quantities. New factories appeared (Aluminium Forge at Inota, 7 th of November Thermal Power Station) older factories, which were founded before the second world war in Pétfürdő and were glued to Várpalota, grew bigger. These events attracted swarms of labour forces thus the population of the town increased by 91.5%, which was unique at that time. Rise of population led to social restructure: industrial labour force turned out to be the majority and Várpalota was the only city where the gender gap was in favour of men in Veszprém County. Labour force in Várpalota was not satisfied with their supply and accommodation. Slave labourers and drafted miners (who were drafted but they did not go to military service they had to
go mining.) were working in the town in order to increase industrial output.
First major demonstration was on the 26 th of October 1956. People gathered at the symbolic places of dictatorship: Party Centre, Council Centre Barracks Police Station. The demonstration, originally peaceful, turned into a bloodbath because of the shootings committed by Vice-colonel Mihály Szekeres, who was defending the Party Centre and fire committed by a bypassing Soviet convoy. The crowd occupied the Party Centre forced the police to give some weapons to the crowd and to go on a patrol. Then a fire engagement broke out with three Soviet trucks. There were no more engagements during the 56 revolution between the Soviet Army forces and the revolutionists but fire was exchanged with the local Hungarian People’s Army. National Guard Revolutionary Council and later Labour Council were formed. One armed group and several poster painter groups operated after 4 th of November. Post-revolutionary retaliation aimed not only revolutionists but participants as well.

PhD dissertation:

István Galambos The Prelude, History and Aftermath of the 1956 Revolution and War of Independence in Várpalota Thesis of PhD dissertation (2016)

Ákos Matzon – A céh mestere. Matzon Frigyes. 1909-1986. Kiadó THURY-VÁR NKFT.  (2016)

(You can find this book in our catalogue here)

Summaries in English

In his Prologue, the artist’s son, Ákos Matzon, himself a noted artist, acknowledges the assistance of the many who have helped him overcome two practical difficulties lying in the way of scrupulously reconstructing Frigyes Matzon’s achievement. First, the sculptor’s studio packed with works and studies was bombed out during the siege of Budapest in 1945, making much of his pre-1945 output irretrievable, and second, Frigyes Matzon himself was rather negligent in documenting the pieces he made and sold, except for the occasional, hence all the more remarkable photographs he would take of some of his works in progress. Gábor Pogány attempts to point out the main threads in Frigyes Matzon’s art; to him, the fact that Matzon had a predilection for stone indicates two things, first, that the sculptor was attracted first and foremost to the classical stone-carving tradition, and second, that he was in a constant search for linkages with architecture, again, in harmony with the classical tradition of sculpting.

In Jenő Kopp’s view, it was the Yugoslav sculptor Mestrovic who had made the most profound effect, right from his youth, upon Matzon. Hence, the two basic components of his art, i.e. simplicity and expressive power, both worked, rather like in Mestrovic’ case, for a relatively easy interpretation of the most profound artistic ideas. Matzon’s teaching career, something far from marginal in his life’s work, was also informed of the dual quality of simplicity and expressive power.

László Miklósovits, a native of Albertirsa, the very town where Matzon was born in 1909, draws up the career path of the sculptor, a path in which the geographical starting point was crucial in his view. As in Bartók’s case, the final European scope of Matzon’s art did little to deny the overwhelming importance of his initial departure from the Hungarian countryside.

In her assessment of Matzon’s art, expert on artists of the 1930s Hungarian Academy in Rome Julianna P. Szűcs points to the rebellious quality of Matzon’s artistic growth lurking behind an overwhelmingly classical, i.e. figurative oeuvre. The historical periods in which he had poured out his fine works were largely oppressive in character; his clear-cut edges and planes, his tectonic qualities weighing in on a light, organic outward appearance were all indicative, she argues, of rebellion against from-the-top-down artistic and political directives. Nothing but a turn to the Avant-Garde could liberate Matzon; and indeed, his decisive turn from Mestrovic to Archipenko speaks volumes about his wish for freedom coming to fulfillment by the end of his life.

Probably the principal authority on Hungarian sculpture, Tibor Wehner stresses that it was the peripheral, oddly neglected personal status of Matzon as a sculptor that might have contributed to the see-saw-like fluctuation of stylisation vs. Cubism in his art. Sure enough, stylisation itself was a step away from bland realism, but it was at the other, more radical end of this spectrum that the breakaway quality of his sculpture was most apparent. „The spatial play of free-and-easy forms”, as Matzon himself wrote about his subject-matter, was certainly capable of demonstrating the entire spectrum, but for all the varying intensity of Cubist traits throughout his work, it was certainly Cubism rather than stylisation that introduced true novelty and standing into his art.

Author of a Master’s thesis on Matzon and a pioneer of documenting his oeuvre, Ildikó Eleőd also notes the pendulum-like recurrence of earlier achievements as against more recent ones. On the whole, for all his participation in the „Novecento” Classicism of the Hungarian Academy of Rome in the 1930s and 1940s, especially with his later work, Matzon adheres much more legitimately to the Abstraction of the so-called European School active between 1945 through 1948. Even so, he managed to preserve some traits of his initial Classicism to the end.
 

END