Reviews

Subtle, sharp, witty.

The Hat has strong characterization and good writing.

The meeting between Heidegger and Arendt comes alive. The sexual tension is genuinely gripping.

An energetic and innovative production which left the audience clamouring for more. Ardó has a highly original vision and voice. Not to be missed

Exuberant and original — a surprising and exciting piece of theatre.

Raw emotion is what this play is all about: not in the sense of Hollywood, but as expressed in very simple gestures — like picking up a hat. Philosophy and sex make for a suprisingly potent combination. Utterly compelling and thought-provoking.

A very engaging play.

It is rare that philosophers are treated as human beings in literature, or where their ideas can be included when they are also looked at as human beings. It seems to me that The Hat accomplishes this. There's a Frayn-esque feel about it, while resisting his overblown conclusivity. While this may be partially a result of its brevity, I think there is something that surpasses his stuff as well. Philosophy is a human activity — this play brings that out in a multi-facetted fashion.

The true innovation of this piece is the seamless interweaving of philosophical viewpoints within a growing sexual tension. Indeed, to claim it is interweaving is not to do it justice. The philosophical viewpoints and the sexual tension become one as Ardó moves the concepts themselves beyond being the medium through which Arendt and Heidegger discover each other, into being sexually evocative in themselves. In so doing she subverts the supposed appositeness of sexuality and philosophy, often with caustic irony. What is perhaps most incredible is that this interweaving, this irony, this philosophical tension… is no more than a subplot in the Hat. Stunning.

The first time I read The Hat, I thought it was a play about a philosophy lesson. The second time I read it, I thought it was a warm, romantic play about a seduction. The third time I read it, I thought it was a creepy, chilling play about a seduction. Now I'm starting to realize it's all of those things, & it's only the beginning of the process. Terrific — a superb short work about the interplay between philosophical debate and seduction.

A jeux d'esprit.

The Hat: Arendt Meets Heidegger is a fun, philosophical play that confirms the human condition. Its wit and personable characters hit home reminding us that we are all curious creatures, determined to search for the truth, within our world, ourselves, and our fellow people, although it is often easier to take the opinions of someone else and leave it at that. The Hat: Arendt Meets Heidegger is the work of a very gifted writer, a thought-provoking, intelligent, and dynamic play. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Zsuzsanna Ardó's book, Culture Shock! Hungary, [is] a witty and informative guide to all you need to know about Hungarian customs and etiquette that is full of insights about the Hungarians and their national character.

Above all I value the satire in this multifaceted book. I have simultaneously read the English and the Hungarian texts with great delight.

Management English Listening (MEL) is a humorous yet professional book, which prepares students both for real life and real life listening. The listening tasks provide a unique experience to listen to and the book is enjoyable, profitable, and challenging to read. [...] you will find MEL just as stimulating and beneficial as your students do. If you are getting tired or exhausted you will always find delight in either the design, illustrations, quotations, or in the content. [...] All in all, MEL grabs your students and your eye. [...] Thus, the listening tasks can be incorporated into any general or business English course. At the same time, inevitably, this distinct feature of the book can be attributed to the authors who managed to find the right balance between listening activities and topic areas. [...]

Furthermore, the voice of an experienced teacher of business and general English is always present throughout the book. [...] One main asset of the book is that it sets out to promote cross-cultural communication by including interviews with people of different cultural backgrounds (American, Canadian, English, German, Hungarian, Indian, Italian, and Japanese) and professionals who share their personal views and experiences on management with the audience.

Another asset of MEL is its humorous style and the friendly atmosphere of the recordings, which bring liveliness into the classroom. [...]

... stimulating, thought provoking, and creative. The listening tasks always stay vividly topical, giving a comprehensive picture of managerial skills. The strength of MEL is its variety and the ability to provide both students and teachers with the opportunity of having fun and thinking creatively at the same time.

Both experienced and novice teachers will find it helpful, and it will definitely make them smile and even laugh.

I love the look of the book! Why can't more publishers be imaginative and innovative in their design?

A unique mastery of English, appreciation of management problems and sense of design and composition.

I like the exploratory, open-ended nature of many of the tasks, the friendly, uncompetitive feel to much of the work, the unpatronising and interesting reading texts and open layouts which allow students to write notes on the page.

This book is of interest for any person who wants to take a closer and more honest look at his own capabilities.

This is a rare book as it has the ability to create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere which is a vital condition for achieving close co-operation, discussion and fluency.

It is quiet different from the most of the British dominated Business English market. Its great advantage over its rivals lies in its inbuilt motivation for the student. I would wholeheartedly recommend its use?

Seldom does a book that is written for a narrow readership, in this case tourists and businessmen, become a success beyond its intended audience. What elevates "CULTURE SHOCK! HUNGARY" above the level of a Traveller's Guide Series is both the quality of the writing and the intimate knowledge of what overdrives this nation of 10 million restless souls. It is like a firmly held mirror, an unflinching but affectionate insight into the character of a nation. If you are lucky enough to witness Zsuzsanna Ardó's meticulous undressing of Hungarians and their culture, you realize that she leaves very little mystery for any self-respecting Magyar to hide behind.

To the embarrassment, or if you will to the delight of a native, who believes that he or she is comfortable with all the intricate layers of social interactions, the language and the "unpredictable excitement and character building" Hungarian history, even for them the "CULTURE SHOCK! HUNGARY" is full of fresh and original information that provokes conventional wisdom. [...]

Most enjoyable are her repeated journeys into the Hungarian psyche which explain and become the basis for all the advice and experiences she provides so abundantly. Her street wise comments on the personal and impersonal ways of greeting someone, the telltale handshakes, the persistent eye contact, the formality of kisses wherever they may land, the invitations and/or the un-invitations to a visit... are like a hilarious anthropological study.  [...]

She exposes universally and correctly the Hungarian nerve. [...] Her view is compassionate but sobering of a society where fantasies of even the possibility of grandeur, sentimentality and "an intensely vague discomfort or inarticulate ethnocentricity" is the norm; as if she would say, "I love the place and all of you guys, but you are so..." It is a well deserved roasting. [...]

With her academic background in Linguistics and Literature, Ardó's casual introduction to the Hungarian language, that is difficult by any standard, is like a friendly persuasion. Her unusual but well researched approach is a very convincing short course in etymology. Surprisingly revealing even for those who think they can speak Hungarian. [...] I would recommend the book to anyone who wishes to have a less bumpy ride through this little country in the Danube basin.

It is unfortunate that the book is available only in English, because "CULTURE SHOCK! HUNGARY" should be a must, a specially required and liberating reading for all Hungarians too.

"Culture Shock! Hungary" is a golden child in the Culture Shock! family of books. Ardó's text is extremely readable and functional. Part history and language lesson, part culinary and travel guide, and more, "Culture Shock! Hungary" is chock full of interesting trivia and applicable knowledge. Her work is highly recommended to anyone hoping or planning on visiting Hungary. The book is compact and would also be well worth rereading on one's trip to Budapest, Balaton or the Hortobágy. This mini-masterpiece of hints and humor would also be useful for someone interested in better understanding the burning minds, yo-yo moods and often mysterious ways of Hungarian friends, colleagues or even love interests. And of course, this text is an especially good read for anyone, in the U.S. or Canada with Magyar ancestry who is trying to learn more, or read commentary on Hungarian heritage. "Culture Shock! Hungary" is a thoroughly relevant and entertaining read.

She has a well-flavored take on her home country, making this an enjoyable and comprehensive book. There is more than paprika spicing up Hungarian people.

While many guides to Hungarian culture are either long histories of various cities or ideas for tourism, Culture Shock! Hungary provides the personality of the modern Hungarian.

I looked for a comparable book and found none. This is the best introduction to Hungarian culture and etiquette on the market. To know a country, you must know the people. The sites and history don't cut it. There's the sociology, ideas and customs. Zsuzsanna Ardó provides us with everything from language pointers to how to do business, to core values.

As far as the language section, you expect more than a traveller's lexicon. Look for an explantion of Hunglish (basically how Hungarians add their suffixes to English words to Hungarianize them). Learn how to articulate the variants in their complex vowel system, and how a slight slip can get you exactly what you didn't think you asked for. She explains the nuances of stress and unstressed syllables. There's a short etymology lesson too.

Business, romance, and, of course, culinary matters are adequately surveyed. The details of Hungarian living are covered very well. Apparently, there's more to buying a watermelon there than here in the United States.Driving under the slightest influence of alcohol is warned against, as they've stricter rules than in the US. Buying a renting a home, what spas are all about, and what's really going with paprika is thoroughly discussed. The pulse of real living and how you can fit in is superbly introduced.

I fully recommend "Culture Shock!: Hungary" by Zsuzsanna Ardó.

My grandmother was a Hungarian refugee from WW 2, making me one-quarter Hungarian. When it came time for me to do a report on a European country, I chose Hungary without hesitation, and chose this book for most of my research. With her complicated and rich writing, Zsuzsanna Ardó makes this no boring book, but a quenching read for someone who has a thirst to learn. Now I know more about my heritage, and didn't have a hard or boring time learning about it! Oh yes, this is not only the book for one who wants to go to Hungary, (which I havn't and plan to), but also the book for one who desires to learn about this interesting culture. If you are planning to learn about or travel to Hungary, this is a necessary book. Thank you, Zsuzsanna Ardó, for this contribution.