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Beash Roma illustrations to Sándor Petőfi's János Vitéz (John the Valiant)
Mss 347
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Table of contents
Title: Beash Roma illustrations to Sándor Petőfi's
János Vitéz (John the Valiant)
Identifier/Call Number: Mss 347
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Language of Material:
Multiple languages
Physical Description:
16 linear feet
(4 map cabinet drawers)
Date (inclusive): 1980s
Abstract: 43 illustrations depicting the story of
János Vitéz (John the Valiant) drawn in Pécs, Hungary, by special needs high school students, many from the Beash Roma community, under the instruction
of art teacher Ildikó Fodor in the 1980s.
Language of Material: Materials in English and Magyar.
The drawings are still framed in their original mattings, which are unstable. Please contact Special Research Collections
staff for more information.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Department of Special Research Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
[Identification of Item], Beash Roma illustrations to Sándor Petőfi's
János Vitéz (John the Valiant), Mss 347. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ildikó Fodor, 2017.
In 2001, an Hungarian--English--Beash Roma edition of
János Vitéz was released. Funded by the Dévi Foundation in Pécs (Devi Art Alapítvány), the book includes the text of the poem in the
three languages: the original Hungarian of Sándor Petőfi, John Ridland's English translation, and a translation into Beash
(the Roma dialect of the region around Pécs) by Anna Orsós. In addition to the parallel translations, the book features over
50 illustrations of various episodes within the poem, drawn in Pécs by special needs high school students, many of whom were
Beash Roma, under the instruction of art teacher Ildikó Fodor in the 1980s, as part of her pedagogical approach focusing on
creativity and imagination in learning. Exhibited in Budapest in 2001, 43 of these drawings eventually came to the UC Santa
Barbara Library's Special Research Collections in 2017, through a donation of Ildikó Fodor.
43 illustrations drawn in Pécs, Hungary, by special needs high school students, many from the Beash Roma community, under
the instruction of art teacher Ildikó Fodor in the 1980s. These works tell the story of János Vitéz, or "John the Valiant,"
a Hungarian national epic written by Sándor Petőfi in 1845.
The collection is made up of pen and ink illustrations ranging from 10" to 33" wide, and 24" to 11" tall. The drawings are
rich in the uniqueness of "outsider art", produced by individuals who create despite a lack of formal training. The young
artists include Bogdán Tibor, Csonka Hajnalka, Mátyás Gligorovics, Zoltán Kalányos, Ferenc Kiss, Sándor Orsós, Zoltán Orsós,
Mária Pálfi, Gyula Sárközi, Zsolt Sárközi, and Zsuzsanna Sipos.
John Ridland papers (UArch FacP 51). Papers of University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Emeritus of English, critic,
translator, and poet John Ridland (1933-). Materials include correspondence, manuscripts, teaching files, subject files, publications,
and diaries.
Roma in Central Europe: A bibliography compiled by Emily Corb, 2019.
Bhabha, Jacqueline; et al. Realizing Roma rights. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017.
Ildiko Fodor, Annabella. Using fantasy to enhance young children's development and education. M.A. (Ed.). Simon Fraser University,
1999.
Kotzin, Miriam N. "The Per Contra Interview with John Ridland". Per Contra, Issue 31, Spring, 2014.(http://www.percontra.net/issues/31/nonfiction/interview-with-john-ridland/).
Majtényi György Majtényi, Balázs. A contemporary history of exclusion : the Roma issue in Hungary from 1945 to 2015. Budapest
; New York : Central European University Press, 2016.
Váradi Andreas Zick, Luca. Youths trapped in prejudice : Hungarian adolescents' attitudes towards the Roma. Wiesbaden : Springer,
2014.
Ahmari, Sohrab. "Dancing Over Catastrophes: The Far Right and Roma in Hungary". Dissent Vol.59(1), Winter 2012: 16-21.
Bársony, János and Ágnes Daróczi. Pharrajimos : the fate of the Roma during the Holocaust. New York : International Debate
Education Association, 2008.
Cahn, Claude. Roma rights : race, justice, and strategies for equality. New York : International Debate Education Association,
2002.
Dunajeva, Jekatyerina. "Education of Roma Youth in Hungary: Schools, Identities and Belonging" European Education,Vol.49(1),
2017: 6-70.
Gruber, Andrea. "Reclaiming Roma Students in Hungary". Reclaiming Children and Youth Vol.21(3), 2012: 34-36.
Kelen, A. ; et al. "A SUMMARY OF THE MEASURES TO PROMOTE ROMA INTEGRATION IN HUNGARY". Acta Oeconomica Vol.61(3), 1 September
2011: 337-360.
Kemény, István. Roma of Hungary. Boulder, CO : Social Science Monographs ; Highland Lakes, NJ : Atlantic Research andPublications
; New York : Distributed by Columbia University Press, 2005.
Kertesi, Gábo. "The Roma/Non-Roma Test Score Gap in Hungary". The American Economic Review Vol.101(3), 1 May 2011: 519-525.
Law Martin Kovats, Ian. Rethinking Roma : identities, politicization and new agendas. London : Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
Ósa, Karolina ; et al. "Environmental survey of segregated habitats of Roma in Hungary: a way to be empowering and reliable
in minority research". European journal of public health Vol.21(4), August 2011: 463-8.
Rostas, Iulius. Ten years after : a history of Roma school desegregation in Central and Eastern Europe. Budapest : Roma Education
Fund ; Budapest ; New York : Central European University Press, 2012.
Thornton, Jacqui. "Bulgaria attempts to combat discrimination against Roma". The Lancet Vol.389(10066), 21-27 January 2017:
240-241.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Children's art
Epic poetry
Hungary -- History -- 20th century
Outsider art
Illustrations
Pen and ink drawings
Petőfi, Sándor, 1823-1849 -- János Vitéz