2014-05-31

Presentation on Esperanto at the National Museum of Language

On 10 May 2014 James Ryan and I gave a presentation at the National Museum of Language in College Park, Maryland, on the topic . . .

Esperanto: One of the World's Best Underutilized Ideas and Its Contributions to World Culture.

The description of this program can be found at the above link along with two embedded videos. The abstract of my contribution is as follows:

The concept of culture is discussed, as is the question of whether and in what sense the Esperanto community can be considered a culture, a question on which even the most celebrated Esperantist literati have differed. Ralph Dumain will emphasize the Esperanto phenomenon as a subculture and culture-forming process, with overall humanitarian contributions to world civilization, and artistic, mainly literary contributions, of both original works and translations. He will discuss the perspective and literary contributions of Esperanto’s creator Zamenhof in relation to the Esperanto movement and world situation of his time. He will give a general historical map of the development of Esperanto literature.
The video in two parts can also be accessed directly at YouTube, but I have embedded them here for convenience:

Esperanto: One of the World's Best Underutilized Ideas and Its Contributions to World Culture (National Museum of Language as part of the Amelia Murdoch Speaker Series on May 10, 2014 in College Park, MD) (61:12 min) by James Ryan and Ralph Dumain



Esperanto: One of the World's Best Underutilized Ideas Part 2
(Question and Answer period) (55:14 min)



First, James Ryan presents. My talk begins 22 minutes into part 1 and ends 1 minute into part 2. The balance of part 2 is a question-and-answer period in which James Ryan and I both respond.

I highlight the Hungarian contribution central to the development of Esperanto literature. Part 1 ends with mention of Sándor Szathmári's utopian/dystopian masterwork Voyage to Kazohinia, available also in English translation. In part 2 I mention Szathmári's futuristic novella Maŝinmondo (Machine-World) at approximately the 38:45 minute mark. Later, at about 42:30, I recite Zamenhof's poem "Ho, mia kor'" (O my heart) in Esperanto with Marjorie Boulton's English translation, then at 46:35 Kálmán Kalocsay's Esperanto poem "Sunsubiro" (Sunset) with English translation by A. Z. Foreman.

A number of topics are discussed in the question-and-answer period, among them the engagement of the League of Nations and the United Nations with Esperanto, the teaching and learning of Esperanto, the speakers' personal histories, native speakers of Esperanto, games in Esperanto, Esperanto in cinema, Esperanto grammar, and the Soviet Russian poet Eŭgeno Miĥalski's linguistic experimentation.

2014-05-29

Mór Jókai en Esperanto and in English

Mór Jókai (1825-1904) estis eminenta hungara verkisto, konata kiel “romantika fabelisto.” Miareteje troveblas pluraj eroj el speciala numero de Hungara Vivo:

Mór Jókai” de Zsuzsa Varga-Haszonits (kun enhavtabelo) el Hungara Vivo, XV, jaro 1975, 4-a numero, p. 1.

Kiun el la Sep” de Mór Jókai estas ero en Hungara Antologio (1933).

Mondlingvo de Mór Jókai” temas pri la interlingvistikaj kaj futurismaj ideoj en ties Romano de la Venonta Jarcento (A jövő század regénye, 1872). Bedaŭrinde, mankas traduko de la romano en Esperanto kaj en la angla.

Alireteje troveblas pluaj informoj pri Mór Jókai:



. . . kaj kelkaj pluaj verkoj en Esperantaj tradukoj:

La du salikoj de Nagyenyed de Mór Jókai, tradukis Jozefo Horváth

La nova bienulo (Az új földesúr Eszperantó nyelven) de Mór Jókai



Mór Jókai (1825-1904) was an eminent Hungarian writer described as an exemplar of Romanticism.  Several of his works have been translated into English and some can be found online:

Mór Jókai (1825-1904) | The Online Books Page

Jókai, Mór, 1825-1904: Project Gutenberg

Jokai, Mor is featured also in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, with links.

I am most interested in his futuristic work The Novel of the Next Century (a.k.a. A Novel of the Coming Century; A jövő század regénye, 1872). Apparently this has never been translated into English. However, there is the following:

JÓKAI Mór: The Novel of Next Century (1872 - 1874): Foreword

The Novel of Next Century
(Translated excerpts and chapter by chapter notes on Jókai Mór's early Science Fiction novel)

I learned about Mór Jókai and this novel in particular thanks to Esperanto. Hungary was in effect the cultural capital of the Esperanto movement for the greater part of the 20th century. The Hungarian Esperanto movement enjoyed the favorable disposition and even support of a number of important modern Hungarian writers. Hungarian Esperantists also translated a substantial body of Hungarian literature into Esperanto, including a few works by Mór Jókai, but not this novel. 

The Hungarian contribution to literary futuristic and utopian/dystopian projections is virtually unknown in the English speaking world. Have you ever heard of Mór Jókai, or of Imre Madách's landmark The Tragedy of Man (1861), or of Frigyes Karinthy's Voyage to Faremido (1916) or  Capillaria (1921), or of Sándor Szathmári's Voyage to Kazohinia (1935, 1941, 1958) written in Hungarian and Esperanto? I learned of all of these via Esperanto. I mentioned the Hungarian contribution in my recent podcast (the topic of my previous blog post): 5/6/14 Science Fiction, Utopia, and the End of Imagination (1)  (57:57 min.).

See also the bibliography and web guide on my web site:

Futurology, Science Fiction, Utopia, and Alienation in the Work of Imre Madách, György Lukács, and Other Hungarian Writers: Select Bibliography

Science Fiction & Utopia Research Resources: A Selective Work in Progress 

2014-05-16

Science fiction, utopia ... & the Hungarian contribution

Here is my 10th podcast, recently recorded:

5/6/14 Science Fiction, Utopia, and the End of Imagination (1)  (57:57) 
I tell a story interweaving the developments in ideas of utopia, dystopia, and in science fiction from the 16th century to the future. I briefly discuss the utopias of the 16th and 17th centuries and the proto-science fiction of the 17th and 18th centuries. The bulk of my presentation focuses on the 19th century, in which science fiction takes shape, new utopian prospects arise, dystopian scenarios emerge, and the future is invented. I begin the story of true science fiction with "Frankenstein" (1818) and continue with developments in France and the USA, with an excursion into futuristic works from Hungary. I discuss key roles played by Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edgar Page Mitchell. I review the history of time travel fiction prior to and including H. G. Wells. I then summarize developments in utopianism. Towards the end of the 19th century dystopian works appear. Wells' "The Time Machine" (1895) marks a historical turning point, as do his other science fiction and futuristic works. Finally, I review key dystopian works covering the years 1920-1970.
The Hungarian literary contribution does not play a sizable role in my podcast, but others would neglect it completely. I mention the historical significance of Imre Madách's The Tragedy of Man (Az ember tragédiája, 1861), Mór Jókai's The Novel of the Next Century (a.k.a. A Novel of the Coming Century; A jövő század regénye, 1872), and Sándor Szathmári's Voyage to Kazohinia (in English, 1975, 2012; in Hungarian, first (censored) edition, Kazohinia (Gulliver utazása Kazohiniában), 1941; in Esperanto, Vojaĝo al Kazohinio, 1958) and Maŝinmondo (Machine-World, in Esperanto, 1964).

Humphrey Tonkin: Du prelegoj pri Esperanta beletro

Jen bonega prelego, instruo pri influoj al esperanta literaturo, surprizaj influoj el la brita literaturo:



Humphrey Tonkin: Traduko kaj originalo en la Esperanto-literaturo from Universala Esperanto-Asocio on Vimeo

Laŭ Vimeo:
Prelego de Humphrey Tonkin en la 37-a Malferma Tago de la Centra Oficejo de UEA, en kiu li parolas pri la nocio ke la Esperanto-literaturo estas en si mem tradukita literaturo, ĉar ĉiu literatura verko en Esperanto estas iasence manifestiĝo de la kultura kaj lingva fono de la verkinto. Tonkin legas dum la prelego jenajn poemojn: 
Kálmán Kalocsay: La celoj dronis
Kálmán Kalocsay: En amara horo
Edmond Privat: Lasta kiso
Clarence Bicknell: Aŭtuno
Jen prelego "Poeto kore fajra - H. Tonkin pri Marjorie Boulton":

Prelego dum la 40-a Malferma Tago de UEA, Roterdamo, 10a de majo 2014. Filmo: Katalin Kováts, www.edukado.net

2014-05-08

Deklamo: "Spinoza" de Jorge Luis Borges en angla & Esperanta tradukoj

Jen freŝa sondosiero (kun tekstoj) de poemo "Spinoza" de Jorge Luis Borges deklamita de Ralph Dumain en angla & Esperanta tradukoj.

New sound file of R. Dumain reciting poem "Spinoza" by Jorge Luis Borges in English & Esperanto translations, with texts:

“Spinoza” by Jorge Luis Borges translated by Richard Howard & César Rennert, with Esperanto translation by Julius Balbin, recited by / deklamis / Ralph Dumain (sound file / sonregistraĵo). See web pages:

  • Spinoza” poem by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by Richard Howard & César Rennert
  • Spinozo” de Jorge Luis Borges, tradukis Julius Balbin
Mi deklamis ĉi tiun paron (sen sonregistro) kiam mi prelegis pri Borges ĉe la Zamenhof-bankedo de Esperanto-Societo de Vaŝingtono en decembro 2013.



2014-05-07

Lajos Tárkony (5) in English (3) / en la angla

The web page below links to a sound file in which I recite two original Esperanto poems by Hungarian lyrical poet Lajos Tárkony with translations by William Auld.

Mi deklamas du originalajn poemojn de Lajos Tárkony kun anglaj tradukoj de William Auld.

(1) Balkona vespero (Evening on a balcony)
(2) Marta renkonto (March)