Antique Fair

On the first Sunday of each month there is an antique fair held on the main street of Miskolc. Yesterday evening as I was updating my calendar I was glad to notice that today is the first Sunday of February which meant antique fair day. I came home at the very best time, for I finally got the chance to go to the fair again. The last time I had been to the antique fair was some time during last summer when it was unbearably hot. I had been planning to go ever since, but somehow I had never been around on the first Sunday of the month.

I have a thing for old things, I guess beacause I like history; however, not the kind that is found in the textbooks and taught in schools, but the kind that is hidden between the lines, that is buried in the souls and minds of the people, the stories behind the faces, and in the articles of personal use, in the items and goods of everyday lives, the things that were picked up, held, and used on a daily basis for several years. This is why I love visiting my Grandma, because every time I see her or hang out with her some old stories, some long forgotten things get unburied, and afterwards I feel like I had time-travelled for a little while. I feel the same about these antique fairs: they have a very special atmoshere, the kind that you won't find any other place or occasion when it comes to consuming. This antique fair in Miskolc is quite well-known and popular, has been held for ages, and both the costumers and sellers come from far-away places, even from abroad. Probably this is why some (most of?) things are rather pricy, and in some other cases the dealers have no idea what they are trying to sell and overprice their goods, and can never get rid of them. Even if you don't have money, it's fun to visit the fair, mainly because of the special amtmosphere and for the kind of time-travel you get to take part in. Plus there is incredibly delicious mulled-wine, coffee, tea, Hungarian twister (kürtőskalács), lángos, lepcsánka, and many other very Hungarian food are sold. 

Oh, and have I mentioned that there are tons and tons of books at the antique fair? Now these are really cheap, as you can get the finest of Hungarian literature (Kosztolányi, Mikszáth, Jókai, etc.) for about 100 ft a piece. Of course there are books costing more than a hundred forints, but there are mass amounts sold for this ridiculous price as well. 

Although I only went for the atmosphere, I ended up buying a couple of things: a book (Doktor Bubó, brings back my childhood!) and a fountain pen that writes wonderfully. I am really glad I got them! Next time I will have an eye out for an older fountain pen, you know, the kind that you don't put a cartridge in but dip in ink. (I have wanted to try such a pen ever since I saw Virginia Woolf writing with it in The Hours.)

So this morning I went, saw, took my camera with me, and wasn't afraid using it. Here's a pinch of how the antique fair in Miskolc looks and feels like:

Old Habits Die Hard

So there goes my "I will write a blog post every single day in 2011, no matter what" resolution. It's not writer's block, it's not that there isn't anything to write about, it's not about being very busy. It's simply my laziness, and my putting writing off until the very last minute, eg, when it's almost midnight/after midnight and I am sleepy and tired and cannot be bothered with clear thinking and writing.

BUT! ('cause there's always a but) I am going home tomorrow for an entire week, becuase it's registration week at the uni, and there are no classes yet. I have at least 8-10 things in my mind (and in one of my notebooks) I could and will write a post about in the next few days.

And now I shall packing. Yay!

Miskolc (and Mum), here I come! Whoo-hoo!

Book 3: Leányregény by Polcz Alaine

This novel of Polcz Alaine is set in the 1960'-1970's when the protagonist spends her summer  by the Black Sea. Although she knows the larger area (Romania and Transylvania) fairly much, as this is where she grew up, this is where she spent most of her childhood, still, this trip brings her so many novelties as if she had travelled to a completely unknown place. 

At first blink Leányregény might seem to be a plain and simple travelouge, but, just like in all the other works of Polcz, there is more to that, for there is a lot going on under the surface and behind the facts. She does not simply states what she saw and what happened to her during the months she spent by the Black Sea, but she tell stories, introduces characters whom not only she befriended but, by the end of the novel the readers too, for they will feel that these somewhat peculiar and complex characters slowly became their aquaintances as well, or even good friends. 

Moreover, she often writes about the everyday lives of  ordinary people who lived in the socialist decades of 60's and 70's, especially of those who worked in tourism, eg., tourist guides, waiters, waitresses, hotel managers, etc. The reader gets to learn about the seemingly tiny details of everyday lives that defined that particular political era which now feels far far away and seems completely different on so many levels from how we life nowadays; however, it it also alike on so many  other levels, if you really think about it. This is how Leányregény could also be a timetravel of some sort on the one hand, and a contemporary portrait of our society on the other.