Twin Champions of the Slovak-Cause: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Robert William Seton-Watson

Abstract

ABSTRACT Both Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and British publicist and historian Robert William Seton-Watson have been widely recognized as champions of the rights of small nations. Owing to their tireless engagement for the Slovak cause, they are regular “guests of honour” at conferences or commemorations in Slovakia to keep the memory of among others, the Černova tragedy of 1907 alive. Bjørnson’s activity for the Slovaks has received a very special attention in Norway, too, but so far only from a Czechoslovak/Slovak perspective. The emphasis is on the internationally acclaimed Nobel Prize-winning poet’s changing assessment of Hungary: his full support for Hungarian demands during the Austro-Hungarian constitutional crisis (1905-6), followed by a radical change for the worse in his attitude towards Hungary, and his heated debate with the Hungarian Minister of Education, Albert Apponyi. The article seeks to explore Bjørnson’s main motivations for such a large-scale international campaign, the shortcomings of which become all the more apparent in the light of Seton-Watson’s similar pro-Slovak activity. Moreover, Bjørnson’s and Seton-Watson’s articles and correspondence in Norwegian, English, German and French, as well as secondary sources in Slovak and Hungarian reveal hard lessons about the policy of Magyarization and the pre-war Hungarian attitudes towards well-meaning foreign critics. It is argued that instead of being used to foment national antagonisms and conflicts in Central-Europe, historical memory should be inspired by Bjørnson’s and Seton-Watson’s best vision of Europe as a continent of equals.