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Author Ildikó Antal-Ferencz at the book launch
For Hungarians living abroad, preserving language and culture remains a daily challenge. The volume titled Remaining Hungarian in America explores how communities in the United States keep their Hungarian identity alive.
On Wednesday, the Friends of Hungary Foundation welcomed journalist Ildikó Antal-Ferencz to its headquarters. Drawing on three years spent living among diaspora communities and conducting dozens of interviews, the author presents a personal and journalistic account of how Hungarians preserve their identity, culture, and traditions far away from their homeland.
Dr. Andor Nagy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Hungary Foundation at the event. Photo: Hungary Today
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Andor Nagy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Hungary Foundation, said it was an honor that the foundation could host the launch of the book and emphasized the importance of the volume in presenting the stories of Hungarians living in the diaspora.
In his speech, he also pointed out that the idea of the book began with the author’s personal life, due to her Transylvanian roots, which make her particularly close to the world of Hungarian communities abroad.
Dr. Péter Szilágyi, Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian Communities Abroad at the event. Photo: Hungary Today
At the book launch, Dr. Péter Szilágyi, Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian Communities Abroad emphasized that the book is also important from a national policy perspective because it strengthens the sense of belonging among Hungarians living in different parts of the world.
He recommends the book primarily to those “who are looking for answers to what it means to be Hungarian and also how to remain Hungarian while living far away.”
“We have one language and one culture,” the Deputy State Secretary said, pointing out that the ideas that stem from shared historical experiences hold Hungarians together even when they live far apart geographically.
During the panel discussion Ildikó Antal-Ferencz talked about how the books were not originally the result of a conscious plan to write them, but rather stemmed from personal experiences and curiosity. She said that when she moved to America with her husband, she knew almost nothing about the Hungarian communities living there, and therefore began conducting interviews.
Author Ildikó Antal-Ferencz speaks with moderator Kálmán Magyar during the panel discussion at the book launch. Photo: Hungary Today
When I started doing the interviews, it was not my intention to write a book,”
she said. The interviews were initially published as newspaper articles, and then, encouraged by the community and her colleagues, the idea for a book was born.
Fact
Ildikó Antal-Ferencz was born in Transylvania and has been working as a freelance journalist for more than ten years. She continued this work in the United States, where she moved from Budapest in the summer of 2022 due to her husband’s job. During their three years in New Jersey, they became active members of the local Hungarian communities (Passaic/Garfield and New Brunswick); they regularly attended Hungarian events in New York and other East Coast states, as well as in more distant states and the federal capital.
Author Ildikó Antal-Ferencz poses with signed copies of “Remaining Hungarian in America” for attendees after the book launch event. Photo: Hungary Today
During this time, she wrote more than 200 articles on the diaspora, including more than 120 interviews with North American Hungarians committed to their language, culture, traditions, and local communities, which were published in Hungarian newspapers.
Photo: Hungary Today
She also published most of the interviews in book form, five volumes in total. This edition presents a selection from the original volumes.
As she said, the work started almost from scratch, but personal recollections, articles related to anniversaries, and the rich history of diaspora organizations ultimately provided a comprehensive picture of the past and present of American Hungarian communities.
Photo: Hungary Today
The interviewees, who live in nearly 25 U.S. states and Canada, differ significantly in terms of their personal life stories, gender, age, profession, and place of residence, but what they have in common is that they are all Hungarians committed to the Hungarian communities of the North American diaspora, who cultivate, preserve, and pass on their heritage through volunteer work not only within their families, but also in connection with local weekend Hungarian schools, scouting, churches, folk dance groups and other cultural organizations.
Photo: Hungary Today
Most of them are representatives of local and diaspora-level organizations (such as the American Hungarian Federation, the Hungarian American Coalition, Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris, American Hungarian Schools Association, United Hungarian Societies Cleveland, Hungarian Diaspora Council), but there are also lesser-known local community members and leaders, as well as people active in the worlds of science, art, and media, and honorary consuls.
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p style=“text-align: justify“>Featured photo: Hungary Today
The post “Remaining Hungarian in America”: New Book Chronicles Diaspora Life appeared first on Hungary Today.
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