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| János Szentmártoni |
International links of the Hungarian Federation of Writers have livened up recently. A good example of this process was a visit to Russia in April. Thanks to the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Moscow, the Hungarian delegation, including Szentmártoni, the poet Laura Iancu and the literary historian Antal Babus, visited the Russian capital and Saint Petersburg where they presented contemporary Hungarian literature and its institutional system, met leaders of local professional organisations, Russian translators of Hungarian literature, Hungarologists and students studying Hungarian.
As a result of the visit, Russia?s literary weekly Literatuny Gazeta, which has a print run of 240,000, will regularly have a page dedicated to Hungarian poetry and two other literary journals will have dedicated Hungarian issues, said Szentmártoni. Additionally, Russian literary works will be published in Hungarian journals and Hungarian works will be selected and recommended to Russian translators in cooperation with the Balassi Institute.
Szentmártoni said state subsidies are vital for maintaining international links and establishing new contacts. But it is also great help if various partner institutions, such as the Balassi Institute and the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Moscow, offer professional help to the writers? federation.
Szentmártoni said the Hungarian federation has fostered international ties in the past, too, citing meetings with, among others, Chinese, Vietnamese and Finnish delegations. However, the international promotion of Hungarian literature has become increasingly dependent on individual lobbies and less on cultural diplomacy. As a result, only parts of the diverse Hungarian literary scene received attention.
?In the first year of being chairman, there was time only for dealing with economic problems, preparing a professional and communications strategy, creating a new image through numerous events and reviewing international relations. This year, however, we would like to strengthen our links Russia, as well as with Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia,? Szentmártoni said. The upcoming visit to Croatia organised by the local writers? federation with the cooperation of board member of the Hungarian federation Csaba Gy. Kiss, will serve this latter aim.
Szentmártoni said the visit is expected to prepare a return visit by the Croatian federation to Hungary and start the development of future cooperation similar to what has been taking shape in the period after the visit to Russia.
