Rusztem Vámbéry – The journalis, the lawyer and the professor

Abstract

The study examines the journalistic work of Rusztem Vámbéry and presents his two most renowned legal cases, in which he acted as defense counsel for Mátyás Rákosi and Attila József. From his journalistic oeuvre, particular attention is given to his writings on nationalism, science, and university education. The analyzed articles are unified by their adherence to the ideological framework of bourgeois radicalism and by the author’s distinctive use of irony. In the case of the Rákosi trial, Vámbéry’s defense speeches are analyzed, while in the defamation case against Attila József, the study relies on contemporary newspaper reports to reconstruct the proceedings.