József Demmel’s new edition revisits the life of the leading figure of the nineteenth-century Slovak national movement, separating documented history from enduring myth.
Ľudovít Štúr remains shrouded in legend and uncritical reverence. His legacy has been appropriated by politicians, the far-right and the disinformation scene, while myths about him continue to be perpetuated not only by public discourse but also by scholars and artists.
Historian József Demmel, however, went back to the original sources and found that many of the accepted stories about Štúr are little more than fabrications. Speaking on the publication of the new edition of his book on Štúr, he says there are passages he would now expand, but he has chosen not to rewrite it because none of his subsequent discoveries contradicts the book’s central arguments, first published 11 years ago.
“I am still trying to help us better understand our shared Slovak-Hungarian past — in this case through the life of Ľudovít Štúr,” he says.
“One can certainly say that Štúr believed unwaveringly in the truth of his own convictions. It is only natural that a person of such exceptional ability, determination and strength of character would not always find common ground with everyone.”
