Recommendation





I can recommend the Reader this book which presents the Hungarian traditional costumes from Felvidék (Upland). This album is about the special form of saving the nation's cultural heritage and shows how wonderful the folk art is.
Collecting of the doll families dressed into the typical folk costumes of the Upland regions started in 1998. These dolls are not all of the same kinds, there are seven different figures – members of the doll families made for this purpose (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, the newborn baby, the son and the daughter) that makes this collection more special and authentic while showing the features of the folk costumes.
Eszter Szobi Kerekes achieved by persistant, hard organizing work that this collection is very professional and perfect, we can say that the finish itself is without any mistake, too. Through the Nursery Schools all over South-Slovakia the author addressed women who could sew dresses and were willing to prepare the models reduced in size. These women, after having met each other and seen the works of the others, a kind of 'healthy rivalry' make them prepare these costumes more and more precise and authentic for their own region.
Thank to the lately deceased husband of the author, Kálmán Szobi, these dolls became the most often travelling representatives of the Upland national costumes, not only within their homeland but also behind the borders. Each show had a great success because from all of them the visitors could feel the organizers and designers deep love and insistence to the traditions.
It's a great honour for me that I had the chance to participate in creating this collection and also keep an eye on the 'life' of these dolls. This publication is a good example how the idea becomes a reality. The dream of Eszter Szobi Kerekes makes us wealthier, much richer.