THOUGHTS FROM THE CELLAR BY GYULA LÁSZLÓ AND HIS SZEKLER HUMOUR IN RHYMES, IN THE SUMMER OF 1944, AT THE TRANSYLVANIAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CLUJ

Abstract

In 1944 the versatile scholar and artist Gyula László (1910–1998) headed the department of archaeology at the Transylvanian Scientific Research Institute of Cluj. The systematic and continuous bombing of Hungary began on 3rd April, and the bombing raid on Cluj claiming many lives took place on 2nd June. Gyula László’s playful poem full of sparkling ambiguity and sometimes wry humor was created in the world of bomb shelters. In addition to giving an account of the goals and tasks of the Institute and sketching the characters of numerous colleagues László had there, this work also introduces its reader to the charm of its creator, a man who never gave up on the playful essence of the spirit, not even amidst the greatest dangers and doubts.