Read article about Mária Muhi's novel
"Passport" and interview written by Mária Muhi, translated
into English
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Maria Muhi's new book, touches on a topic affecting thousands of
Hungarians in the United States: seeking the American Dream with an
expired visa.
"This book...touches upon a topic that can't be swept under the
rug. America is not just the land of dreams, but at times, can be a
land of nightmares, especially when wandering through it wearing the
youthful, rose-colored glasses of Kata, and Eastern European
immigrant.
In the end, Kata finally sees her own naiveté and that her own
American adventure could have turned out far worse. Kata's adventure
brings her the unexpected and the fun, but also turmoil and
tribulation. When she finally comes to her senses, she finds herself
as much a part of the American way as hamburgers and coca-cola.
Maria Muhi, at times sarcastic, other times like a vivid
novelist, gives us the America of lore, while leaving room for
plenty of surprises.
Our protagonist goes, sees, but does she win? The novel gives us
these answers with heartfelt humor."
Translated by Bryan
Dawson-Szilagyi
The book is written in Hungarian; it is available at:
Blue Danube Gifts
217 East 83rd Street
New York, NY 10028
Tel: 212-794-7099
www.bluedanubegifts.com
Or you can order by sending $14.99 to
Kalnoky, Inc.
P.O. Box 6673,
East Brunswick,
NJ 08816.
Tel: 732-254-2904 |
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Károly Kanyó |
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Once upon a time, almost seventy years ago, two Hungarian
adventure-minded young men took it into their heads to circumvent
the globe on a motorbike. The dream became reality as Zoltán
Sulkowsky and Gyula Bartha set out on a Harley-Davidson, complete
with a sidecar, to discover the world. Their journey lasted eight
years on end, during which time they visited fifty-eight countries
while touching on six of the seven continents. Our intrepid
travelers made the acquaintance of Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo
and were amiably received by the then presiding American president.
The desert Bedouins, wild beasts on Sumatra, and the arid Peruvian
pampas weren’t nearly so hospitable. Nevertheless, they and their
faithful German shepherd, a veritable canine globetrotter, completed
their unique mission.
So much for the glories of the past, but what about the present?
Károly Kanyó, a compatriot of Bartha’s and Sulkowsky’s and a
resident of Daytona Beach, Florida, dreams of following in the
tire-tracks of his motorcycle-loving forebears and retracing their
steps in our much-changed world.
- When did you first hear of the ’dynamic duo,’ Bartha and
Sulkowsky, and their travels around the world?
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It was back in 1983, while flipping through my grandfather’s Car and
Motorcycle Magazine that I discovered an article describing their
undertaking. I was hooked from the start, as I love both traveling
and motorcycles. The article also explained that the two bikers had
recorded their adventures in book form. I kept remembering
Sulkowsky and Bartha, even months after reading the article, and
decided to get a hold of a copy of their book. Once at a bike expo,
I ran into a fellow biker who happened to own two copies, and so I
bought one, a signed copy, no less, for 1,500 Forints! Needless to
say, I read it to pieces and soon began dreaming of following in the
author’s footsteps. I began to make plans. The first logical step
was to find Sulkowsky’s living relatives, which was no easy task. I
asked around, did my research, visited the right museums, and
finally discovered that Zoltán Sulkowsky has one living nephew,
Endre Sulkowsky, whom I contacted immediately.
- What did your family and friends have to say about all this?
- I have enjoyed my father’s constant support; in
fact, he and I did much of the initial research together. My
friends are also more or less supportive, even though most of them
consider me a bit of an eccentric for devoting so much money and
energy to a dream I refuse to let go off. The way I see it, however
is that is's natural to finish what you start and follow through on
your dreams.
- We’ve gotten ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back to what
happened after you contacted Endre Sulkowsky?
- We met up and talked on numerous occasions. I
gained a lot of insight into Sulkowsky’s life and travels and a
great deal of detailed knowledge of the day-to-day progress of their
project. This is where my real work began. After graduating from
high school, I worked as a truck-driver and saved up enough money to
buy a Harley-Davidson, a wreck of one, really. I did travel over
6,000 kilometers on that very motorbike in an effort to prepare
myself for the real thing, but the machine was in very bad shape.
Then, in January of 1997, I wrote a letter, which a friend’s father
translated into English- I had no English myself at the time- to the
Harley-Davidson Company. In the letter, I asked that they lend me a
motorcycle on which I would retrace Bartha’s and Sulkowsky’s
travels, circumvent the globe while providing detailed descriptions
of how the world had changed and return the motorbike in the end.
They wrote back that they were unable either to lend me a motorcycle
or to sponsor my undertaking. You can imagine my disappointment.
The next four years I spent running around, looking for sponsors and
trying to make enough money to at least get started with my
project. In 2004, I moved to the States, more specifically, to
Daytona Beach, Florida, which is a biker’s paradise. They’re
building up one of the world’s largest Harley-Davidson in Daytona
Beach as we speak. I came here primarily to visit motorcycle
expositions, to get more information, and to find and approach
potential sponsors. I have had no success thus far, but I did
secure publication rights from Endre Sulkowsky and am having the
book translated into English. Once the English translation is
complete, I hope to be able to sell it in the States and financially
advance my dream.
- Are you planning to travel alone?
-That’s entirely out of the question. When I
first began planning the trip, a friend of mine signed on as my
travel partner, but the disappointments and hardships of the past
years proved to be too much for him, and he quit. As soon as I find
a sponsor, I’m going to take time to look for the right companion,
as I feel that undertaking the journey alone would be far too risky.
- Let’s suppose you’ve found your sponsor and your travel
partner. What makes you think you can see the project through?
- Well, I certainly have what it takes
physically. I’m 6’8” and weigh over 220 pounds. I also have plenty
of travel experience as I worked as a truck-driver for a number of
years. I know Sulkowsky’s book by heart; I’m aware of the various
dangers and obstacles in my way. I have been planning the trip for
years, taking care to prepare myself for all eventualities and am
making an effort to improve my English. Oh, and I almost forgot!
I recently visited Hawaii, where we rented motorcycles and
circumvented the island of Oahu. It was an unforgettable
experience.
- Tell me, Karcsi, how do you keep your dream alive? Why do you
refuse to give up?
- First of all, I’ve put so much money and energy
into the project that I feel it would be a huge mistake to give up
now. Of course, there are days when I’m distressed, when people
look at me as if I were from outer space, when all I want to do is
travel around our own planet. But you know what draws me on: the
journey, the prospect of adventure, and the discovery of the things
of this world. Although I’ve traveled quite a bit, I’m restless and
completely in love with the motorcycle. I’m thirty-seven now and
must realize my dream before reaching fifty-five!
Mária Muhi
Translated by Bryan
Dawson-Szilagyi
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