All ethnic groups have as part of their purpose the conservation of their heritage, their culture, which is what makes people a distinct special entity, different from others. What is culture? Language, literature, music, visual art, values and customs.

So it is quite natural, that some of us who enjoy, cherish, cling to and would like to keep alive our literature got together in a group to meet once a month to cultivate our minds and souls reading and reciting fragments of a formidable wealth of literary treasures.

The group has a mature, round table like structure, with no executive or formal membership. What brings us together is our love of literature. Each month somebody volunteers to take on the "presidency" for the next session. This person decides the subject for our next gathering, organizes the material and presentation, and makes sure to pass onto a new volunteer the function of rotating president for the following session. The gatherings are enjoyable, often of high caliber. The literary circle works and self perpetuates, because we like what we are doing. It also helps that Jutka Fischer took upon herself a coordinating, motoring role, keeping contact with the rest of the society, as well as keeping alive and spreading interest.

What good does this group do for people who speak little or no Hungarian? Well, it could do quite a bit. There is much of Hungarian literature translated into English and since we all speak English we could hold sessions of Hungarian literature in English if there is an interest. As a matter of fact there was already an attempt in this direction, which could be revisited and carried through.

Kamill Apt