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The Xenophobe's Guide
to the Hungarians

by Miklós Vámos and Mátyás Sárközi

A guide to understanding the Hungarians that explores their underlying character traits and idiosyncracies.

PLEASE NOTE this book is only available as an online eBook. Please see button to the right to view a sample.

Extracts from the book

Two plus two equals five
Although they hate to criticise themselves, Hungarians are well aware of their faults, one of which is that they never see eye to eye: if there are four Hungarians in a room, they will belong to five different political parties.

Gloom and doom
With Hungarians, pessimism is a state of mind. They are happy to cultivate this gloomy view: as they put it, 'An optimist is a person who is poorly informed'. Hungarians are realists: in their folk-tales they live happily 'until they die', not happily 'ever after'.

Divorce Hungarian style
Statistics show that Hungarians divorce more than they marry. On an average day, 300 Hungarians marry, and, at the same time, 100 divorce (hopefully not from the 300 who marry). Zsa Zsa Gabor accounts for at least eight. She was once asked whether she was a good housekeeper. 'Yes, dahling,' she said, 'Very good. Every time I divorce I keep the house.'

Talent will out
Hungarian emigrants are very proud of their small native land and of what they themselves have achieved. There was a period in Hollywood when a sign on film studio doors read: 'It's not enough to be Hungarian, you also have to have some talent.'

Comments from readers

The Hungarians are a fascinating people. They have little common ancestry with most other Europeans (their closest relatives are the Finns) and their sense of being different has no doubt been strengthened both by their country's distinguished history and by its more recent experience of being fought over by others. The book gives an insightful and interesting account of what makes them tick.
United Kingdom

The publisher would welcome readers comments on this title.

Reviews from the Press

A brief pen portrait of a nation and its people and even the odd humorous dig at their subject without being politically incorrect.
Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Short, aphoristic, seriously funny, not that xenophobic and almost entirely apt guide, perfect homework for the fortunate on ferry or plane.
The Observer

Table of Contents
Nationalism and Identity
Character
Attitudes and Values
Happy Families
Manners and Behaviour
Leisure and Pleasure
Drinking and Eating
Custom and Tradition
Sense of Humour
Culture
Systems
Culture
Systems
Business and Commerce
Government
Language

 

Myebook - The Xenophobe's Guide to the
                      Hungarians - click here to open my ebook

This is a Vintage Edition of the title and is no longer in print.

Author:Miklós Vámos and Mátyás Sárközi
Format: 64 pages, pb
Published: 01/04/99
OUT OF PRINT
Price: £3.99
ISBN-10: 1-902825-31-4

About the author
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Table of contents
 
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