Association of Hungarian University and College Students [antikvár]

ForewordIn 1956, Tamás Kiss was a leader of the first free student association behind the Iron Curtain (the MEFESZ of the city of Szeged in Hungary). He brought that news to the Technical University of Budapest. In this fine book of his, he describes the events of the 1956 Hungárián fight for freedom and provides authentic documentation for those events. Truth is important, documented facts are important, because Hungary has not yet digested her own past. She still lacks openness to dialogue, to discussion and lacks the willingness to calmly compare the facts, the points of views. This lack of a clear and commonly held understanding of the past results in public frustration, violent arguments, a civil-war-like mentality, which is paralyzing, because a nation, ail nations need a common memory before they can build a common future.The book itself provides much needed facts for the Hungárián public that is used to hear the former henchmen of Communist rulers to sling mud at those patriots whom they sentenced to death. Yet, in this introduction to his book, I will try to acquaint the reader with the spirit, the emotional atmosphere of the révolution. Let me begin with a few paragraphs from my own book, which describe Tamás Kiss's role at a student meeting in Budapest on the 22nd of October:' I was scraping the corrosion off my gold ring, which had cost me thirty-six forints and must have had some copper in its heritage, because it was turning green. I was spitting on it, rubbing it, and was just beginning to make some progress when I feit Attila's elbow in my side. He was pointing down to the speakers' platform, where there was some commotion. The murmur in the aula stopped. Now there was total silence. In startled curiosity the dozing students were beginning to wake up. We were sitting up and starting to pay attention. Now you could hear a pin drop and then, from the middle of the tumult at the microphone, a voice rose: 'I represent the MEFESZ of Szeged! I want to speak!'