Budapest 1900 - A Historical Portrait of a City & its Culture

Budapest, like Paris and Vienna, experienced an explosive flowering at the end of the nineteenth century. In terms of population growth, material expansion, and cultural exuberance, it was among the foremost metropolitan centers of the world, the cradle of such talents as Bartók, Kodály Krúdy Ady Molnár, Koestler, Szilard, and von Neumann, among others. John Lukacs, distinguished historian and native of Buda- pest, here offers a rich and eloquent depiction of one of Europe's great cities at its height. He provides a cultural and historical portrait of Budapest—its sights, sounds, and inhabitants; the artistic community; its class dynamics and politics; the essential role played by its Jewish population — and a historical perspective that describes the ascendance of the city and its decline into the maelstrom of the twentieth century. JOHN LUKACS was born in Hungary and came to America in 1946. A professor of history he has authored thirteen books including Philadelphia 1900-1950.-Patricians and Philistines and Historical Consciousness. He lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania. As in all the books of this remarkable man, we are treated not only to admirable learning and far-ranging scholarship but to wisdom. The implications of this book extend beyond Budapest, beyond Hungary to the past, present, and future of Europe, East and West, and of America too." —Eugene D. Genovese, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences, University of Rochester