Zsófia Sallai’s new monograph, István Nemeskürty – Serving the Nation with a Hungarian Sense of Mission
A commemoration honoring István Nemeskürty, one of the most influential figures in Hungarian intellectual life, was held on October 8, at the Róheim Villa, organized by the Hungarian Corvin Chain Board.
The event marked the tenth anniversary of the professor’s death and included the presentation of Zsófia Sallai’s new monograph, István Nemeskürty – Serving the Nation with a Hungarian Sense of Mission.
Fact
István Nemeskürty (1925–2015) was a true polymath: a literary scholar, film expert, cultural strategist, teacher, and patriot who devoted his entire life to Hungarian culture and history.
István Nemeskürty. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
As a defining figure of the golden age of Hungarian filmmaking, he oversaw the creation of more than a hundred films, but his work as a teacher, organizer, and writer also shaped the thinking of generations. In his works and public engagements, he consistently promoted the idea of a Hungarian mission: the belief that the Hungarian people have a unique task in Europe, assigned to them by God and history.
At the opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. E. Sylvester Vizi, President of the Hungarian Corvin Chain Board, recalled István Nemeskürty, emphasizing that a nation’s unity and pride depend on an honest, objective relationship with its own history.
Without a policy of remembrance grounded in an honest and objective understanding of our history, we cannot build a unified nation, a community that takes pride in its past,”
he stated.
“Being Hungarian cannot be genetically inherited. The Hungarian language and love of country cannot be genetically passed on. Every generation must learn this” Prof. Dr. E. Sylvester Vizi said, citing Nemeskürty.
President Prof. Dr. E. Sylvester Vizi and the author of the book, Zsófia Sallai at the ceremony. Photo: Hungary Today
The author of the monograph, Zsófia Sallai, spoke about how István Nemeskürty’s life’s work was influenced by a single idea: a sense of mission that determined the fate, history, and identity of the Hungarian people.
She noted:
He was firmly convinced that the Hungarian sense of mission, analogous to the Jewish journey to Canaan, has been present in Hungarian history since the conquest of the Carpathian Basin. This consciousness was kept alive by the power of religion, myths, history, and language.”
Sallai’s book presents Nemeskürty’s life both chronologically and in its intellectual and moral context, showing how the teacher, writer, and thinker became one of the most important shapers of 20th-century Hungarian cultural identity.
The author of the monograph, Zsófia Sallai, at the ceremony. Photo: Hungary Today
“István Nemeskürty built the future,” she concluded her speech.
Dr. Gergely Deli, rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service, recalled the professor’s multifaceted career. As he said, Nemeskürty led the golden age of Hungarian film production, and as Government Commissioner for the Hungarian Millennium, he organized a worthy celebration of the national heritage.
According to Nemeskürty, culture is not a decoration, but the life force of the nation, without which we would fall apart,”
quoted Dr. Deli.
Dr. Gergely Deli, rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service at the ceremony. Photo: Hungary Today
He added: “The teacher’s principles are of particular importance today. The cultivation of national and cultural values is key to our self-identity and community cohesion.”
The rector emphasized that the István Nemeskürty Faculty of Teacher Training at the university he heads continues to promote the professor’s spirit with the motto “Duty to the homeland,” based on which the work of teachers is the foundation of the nation’s survival.
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