A magyar népköltés gyöngyei: A legszebb népdalok gyüjteménye

Elek BenedekProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.3

Word count: 206K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. A magyar népköltés gyöngyei: A legszebb népdalok gyüjteménye by Elek Benedek. Author: Benedek, Elek, 1859-1929. Language: Hungarian. Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures. Release Date: Aug 1, 2012

Editor's review

This collection of Hungarian folk songs, compiled by Elek Benedek, opens a window onto the Hungarian folk poetry tradition. Its editor devoted himself for years to collecting and organizing folk literature, and the volume, titled "Pearls," gathers the folk songs he judged most beautiful, balancing lyrical short songs with narrative ballads in plain, musical language. For scholars of folk literature it is primary material for studying late nineteenth-century Hungarian methods of folk-song collection and aesthetic taste; for general readers it serves as an introduction to the rhythms of Hungarian poetry. Note that the book is in the original Hungarian and is a public-domain ebook without modern annotations or introductory commentary, so it is best read alongside a dictionary or cultural reference materials. Suited to slow reading in a quiet setting, or to savoring song by song as a language-learning aid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Language learners of Hungarian who wish to encounter the rhythms of the original poetry
Scholars and students of folk literature or Eastern European folk-song traditions
General readers interested in Hungarian culture, folklore, and oral tradition
Readers who enjoy short lyrical works and are willing to read slowly and savor them

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Hungarian at all who do not plan to read with reference tools
Beginners who need detailed annotations, modern translations, or introductory guidance
Readers who prefer long narrative works or systematic literary-historical discussion

Reading tips

Read through the table of contents first, then start with short songs that show clear repeated patterns, to get a feel for the rhythm.
Keep a Hungarian dictionary or online translation tool at hand; mark unfamiliar words and look them up together after finishing a song.
Read alongside recordings of Hungarian folk music to help grasp the rhythm and performance setting of the songs.
Read in groups by theme or form, and jot down recurring images and rhetorical figures as you go.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in the original Hungarian, and is there a Chinese translation?

According to the information, the book is in Hungarian and is a public-domain ebook; no Chinese translation or bilingual edition is mentioned. Chinese readers will need a dictionary or translation tool, or may consult another translation alongside the original.

Do the folk songs include annotations or background information?

The information only states that this is a folk-song collection compiled by Benedek; no modern annotations, introduction, or cultural background notes are mentioned. Readers may need to consult materials on Hungarian folklore and folk literature themselves for fuller understanding.

Is this ebook suitable for learning Hungarian?

It can serve as supplementary material. Folk songs have short lines and much repetition, which helps with sound and rhythm; but poetic language involves omissions and dialect, so it is not recommended as the only textbook—better used alongside a systematic course or grammar book.

Do I need to know Hungarian folk literary history before reading this book?

Not necessarily. General readers can start directly with the short songs and experience the language and feeling; those who want a deeper understanding of the selection criteria and folk-song types can then consult folk literary history or related research.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Elek Benedek Author · Hungarian · 1859–1929

Elek Benedek (1859–1929) was a Hungarian journalist and writer, hailed as "the great folk storyteller" and known for his collections of Székely fairy tales. Born in Transylvania, he worked as a newspaper journalist in Budapest and served as a member of the Hungarian Parliament from 1887 to 1892. His writing and editorial work centered largely on folk literature and reading for young people; he compiled the five-volume World of Hungarian Stories and Legends and translated Grimm's fairy tales and other works into Hungarian. Five of his works are held here, including Édes anyaföldem!: Egy nép s egy ember története, A magyar népköltés gyöngyei: A legszebb népdalok gyüjteménye, Testamentum és Hat levél, and Nagy magyarok élete, covering folk poetry, national history, and biography in a plain, accessible, and instructive style.