Hungary? How Boring!

George Gömöri in Conversation with Sir Bryan Cartledge

 

George Gömöri: We have known each other for over fifty years—it's quite a long time. When we first met in the 1950s in St. Antony's, Oxford, was there any indication that one day you might write a best-selling history of Hungary?

Sir Bryan Cartledge: No. I was studying in California at the time of the 1956 Revolution and followed events on the radio as best I could; this naturally aroused my interest in Hungary, a country of which I knew very little. But all my interest at that time, and the focus of my academic research, was in Russia and the Soviet Union—I was preparing a thesis on the ‘Kornilov Affair' during the 1917 Revolution. I subsequently decided to enter the British diplomatic service instead.

When did you first visit Hungary and why were you given the post of Ambassador there?

My first visit to Hungary was in 1975 when, as Head of the Department concerned in the Foreign Office, I accompanied the then Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan, on an official visit to Budapest. I was immediately attracted both by the city and by the Hungarians whom I met there. I made up my mind to return as soon as I could and to see more of the country. My next job was that of Private Secretary for overseas affairs to the Prime Minister, James Callaghan again and then, in 1979, Margaret Thatcher. It was a tradition at that time that when the time came for the Private Secretary for overseas affairs to leave his post, the Prime Minister asked him or her what they would like to do next—it was one of the rewards for two or three years of exceptionally hard work. When Margaret Thatcher put that question to me, I told her that I would like to go to Hungary as Ambassador. “Hungary? Hungary?”, she exclaimed in amazement: “How boring!” Of course I knew that Hungary was far from boring; and I also knew that Mrs. Thatcher had never been there. So I maintained my request and she duly arranged the appointment a few months later. When she herself visited Budapest in 1983, she changed her mind about Hungary.

When did you start your research on The Will to Survive?

When I took up my appointment as Principal of Linacre College, Oxford, in 1988, I cherished the illusion that it would be possible to combine the job of running the College with some academic research—I had already decided that I would like to write a history of Hungary. I soon discovered that my work as Principal required all my time and more; research had to await my retirement in 1996. So I began my research for The Will to Survive in January, 1997 and completed the book seven years later.

What sorts of problems did you encounter while doing research and did you have access to all necessary sources?

My main problem concerned the medieval period. I am not a medievalist and consequently I had to study the characteristics of medieval society—the feudal system, for example—more or less from scratch. Another problem was that although I read Hungarian I do so very slowly—that was one of the reasons why the book took seven years to write! As for sources, I found that almost everything I needed was available in the Cambridge University Library, which allows graduates to borrow books; when necessary—for example to look up old newspapers—I was able to use the Széchényi Library in Budapest.

History books on small countries are not very popular with publishers. How did you find your publisher and are you happy with the results?

You are quite right; it was very difficult to find a publisher, particularly since The Will to Survive is quite a long book. Several publishers told me that they might consider taking the book if I could reduce its length by at least half; others asked me to begin the book in the 19th century, eliminating the medieval and early modern periods. Eventually I decided to enlist the help of an agent, Andrew Lownie, who specialises in history and biography. He worked very energetically on my behalf and eventually found a small publisher, Timewell Press, which was willing to publish the book as it stood, without cuts. I think they made a good job of it; I was particularly happy with the design of the dust jacket. The design of the Hungarian edition, Megmaradni, is even better.

How was The Will to Survive received in England and Hungary?

I think it has been quite well received in both countries. It has been given very few reviews—perhaps because of its length!—but those which have appeared have been favourable. The most valuable was a review article by John Lukacs in Harper's Magazine. However, both editions of the book sold out and secondhand copies are commanding a substantial premium, which is encouraging. I am hopeful that a third edition may be published this year, by a different publisher.

[...]

 

Sir Bryan Cartledge
is a distinguished British diplomat and academic. After studies in Cambridge, Oxford
and the United States he entered the diplomatic service. He was British Ambassador,
first in Hungary (1980–1983), then in the Soviet Union (1985–1988). For eight years he
was Principal of Linacre College, Oxford. He now lives in London.
His publications include a history of Hungary (The Will to Survive, 2005) and
Mihály Károlyi and István Bethlen: Hungary (2009), both translated into Hungarian;
he has edited six books on environmental issues.

George Gömöri
is a Hungarian poet, translator and essayist who left Hungary in 1956.
For over thirty years he taught Polish and Hungarian at the University of Cambridge.
He is Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College.