About
The idea for this site is simple. It is to explore the stories of nine interviewees from the film Magyar Stories. These stories are important, because they offer a unique perspective on a major historical event, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. During that revolution, Hungarians across the country rose up against a Soviet-backed government, based in Budapest. In contrast to traditional histories, which focus on what happened in the capital, what the leadership was doing there, and on the international situation, this site offers the revolution from the perspective of nine ordinary people in a small town. One gets a strong sense from them about how chaotic and unsettling those times were.
Another benefit of telling the interviewees' stories through a website is that a website offers many layers through which one can tell history. One can combine clips from a film with research in archives with music with old photographs and so forth. In many ways, that kind of multi-layered presentation can make a topic more exciting and one's research more thorough. Certainly, discussing a film like Magyar Stories is much easier when one has actual clips from the film playing next to commentary.
More personally, this project is deeply personal, as two of the interviewees, Janos and Rose Taba, are grandparents of the creator of this site. This site, then, is a chance for me, their grandson, to tell their stories. Thus, this site is as much for people interested in the Hungarian Revolution as it is for my family, who would like to keep up with what I have found about our relatives.
Those to Thank
The first party to thank is Hunnia Filmstudio, LTD. Without their permission, I would never have been able to use Magyar Stories, which means I would never have been able to start this project. For visitors interested in Eastern European film, please check out their website by clicking here. They are great resource for many forgotten films.
Of course, I would also like to thank and honor my grandparents, who bravely survived the revolution and escaped to the United States. Thank you to the rest of the Taba family. Let me know if this site does justice to Mama and Papa. Thank you, professors Dan Cohen, Paula Petrik, Mills Kelly, and Claudia Verhoeven. Without your assistance and inspiration, I would have never thought of this project or tried to design a website for it. Finally, thank you Vivi, my greatest inspiration. Eu te amo, meu amor, para sempre!
Finally, I should introduce myself. My name is Laszlo, and I am a graduate student focusing on history and new media at George Mason University. This site started as a class project, and now it has taken on a life of its own. I have also created a companion blog, through which you can follow my progress and comments, both about the site and related topics. Please give me comments about what the site needs so that I can improve it. Kosonom szepen minden segitsegnet!