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Folyosó is now three years old. The class that inspired it has just graduated; the pandemic, which gave it its initial urgency, has subsided, at least for now. What is Folyosó for, and why does it continue? I usually answer that it means a lot to students at Varga and beyond; that it gives them a place to write for an actual readership; and that it provides a forum for a range of forms, themes, ideas, and turns of phrase.

All of this remains true, but there is more. First, it comes as a joyous surprise when students submit pieces on their own initiative: that is, not within the context of an assignment. Several prolific contributors, including Áron Antal and Lilla Kassai, have kept Folyosó richly inhabited over the past few years. Last autumn, Milán Galics submitted his poem “Season of Death,” which deserves many rereadings. This time, the independent submission comes from Zalán Nagykovácsi, whose poem “Silent Reflection” is featured at the top of the Spring 2023 issue. This introspective, meditative poem drew me in with its rhythm and sound, its mood, and its rhymes that lead into surprises of meaning.

Second, the journal is closely connected with our study of literature. Whether directly or indirectly, the writings draw on influences from Shakespeare to Faulkner. Literature in English language class need not be an afterthought or frill; it is through literature that students encounter the possibilities of language: fresh expression, wit, risks of form, and something that matters, something that must be said.

This year, one of my classes read and discussed Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish,” which begins, “I caught a tremendous fish” and ends “And I let the fish go.” We looked closely at the words, the detailed vocabulary, to figure out how the poem moves from the starting point to the end point. Toward the end of this discussion, we compared the poem with Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Archaic Torso of Apollo” (in the translation of Stephen Mitchell). The whole discussion went well; I was just starting to wrap things up when a student raised her hand. She had more to say. She pointed out that in Rilke’s poem, the speaker perceives the beauty of the torso right away, whereas in “The Fish,” the perception of beauty comes slowly, and eventually becomes so overwhelming and complete that when the speaker lets the fish go, it is with no regrets.

It is not only that kind of insight, but also that kind of urgency—having something to say even after class is technically over—that keeps Folyosó going. Even when these discussions do not end up in Folyosó, they are in the air, and something about them will wend its way here.

In his Nobel Banquet speech, delivered in 1950, William Faulkner speaks of “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself,” which, according to him, are the only things worth writing about, the only things that can make good writing. Anything else lacks urgency, according to Faulkner; anything else skims the surface. My students in Class 12.C read and discussed this speech in one of our last lessons together. We spoke of “the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed – love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.” The last concept, sacrifice, has particular meaning for students, since they know well that no matter what anyone says, it is impossible to have or do everything. At some point one thing must be given up for another. Our sacrifices shape us and take place even when we don’t see them. Even setting words on paper or the screen involves sacrifice, since one thing must be said instead of another.

Even so, worthy writing can do something other than contend with universal truths: for instance, it might play. Play itself could be a universal truth, but by it tosses such dictums in the air. Play can relax and stretch our formulas, our sense of what must be. Its fun needs no justification. Folyosó’s playfulness has brought cheer and liveliness to many a day.

The writings in Folyosó come from students trying out their style and ideas in a foreign language. For this very reason, they make for meaningful reading: here are young writers finding their way, sometimes to their own surprise. We are fortunate to have many talented contributors not only from the Varga Katalin Gimnázium, but also from the Lycée Sainte Pulchérie in Istanbul and (on one occasion) Columbia Secondary School in New York City; their writing has been featured in our international contests.

The next issue will come out in November 2023—with the results of our new international contest, the theme and rules of which will be announced in September. Until then, we wish you good reading. Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at diana.senechal at vargaszolnok dot hu.

Sincerely,

Diana Senechal
Founder and Editor of Folyosó

This letter, like the spring itself, gavottes swiftly by; we’re almost at the end of the year, and this calls for crisp words. This second anniversary issue of Folyosó has two special features: a section of pieces on puzzles (pieces about puzzles, pieces involving puzzles, pieces that are puzzles). There’s even a piece by someone who doesn’t like puzzles! So give these puzzles and anti-puzzles a whirl.

Then comes a section that will seem peculiar at first until (a) you get used to them, (b) you read Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America, or (c) the disbelief evaporates on its own. Each of the pieces uses the phrase “trout fishing in America” in whatever way it pleases. The phrase can function as a noun, a verb, an adjective, or anything else.

The “trout fishing” pieces are a little bit strange. But that is part of the point. When you allow yourself to do unusual things with language, you hear it in new ways. Stories emerge that never would have existed otherwise.

We also include two utopia projects by students from Class 12.C, interesting in both their content and their presentation. We hope that they will stimulate discussion of the ideas!

In honor of this year’s Shakespeare Festival, which took place on April 22 and kicked off a wonderful new tradition, we are republishing a Shakespeare-inspired section from Issue 1:3 (Winter 2020–2021). Here are just a few pictures of the festival itself.

Lilla Kassai painted two portraits for the Hamlet scene in this festival; they appear here on the Folyosó cover and on their own page, along with two more of her pieces. We are honored to feature her art again.

The next issue, featuring our next international contest, will come out in October. Contest details will be posted by the end of June. We wish you a fruitful, restful, pliable, not-too-short summer!

Sincerely,

Diana Senechal
Founder and Editor of Folyosó

Fanni Pető

Nowadays a lot of people use more and more social platforms. It can be good in many ways, but what is on the other side? Is it always just nice and fun? Unfortunately I do not think so. But why can social media be dangerous or even harmful? What or who affects the users in a negative way?

Many people, especially teens, try to live up to expectations that are too high. They usually try to compare themselves to others, just because they think other people who they see on social media are skinnier, more beautiful, wealthier, or have the “perfect life.” And when they are feeling down, some unkind people make it even worse. They usually write comments like: you should do something about that, you are just lazy, you are just feeling sorry for yourself, instead of working on the things you want to change.

First of all I think other people should not write rude comments to teens who already feel bad. And second of all, it is not as easy as they think. Maybe these people have health problems which are why they cannot lose weight. And also it is nobody’s fault they were not born into a rich family where they had everything. I think these are the main things that affect teenagers and give them the wrong idea of what they’re supposed to be.

And the worst of all: beauty. It may sound ridiculous, but this is a serious problem among teenagers. Because it is also nobody’s fault if they were not born with the face that today’s beauty standard demands. Unfortunately a lot of young people compare themselves to fake models that social media shows them. This can led to a lack of confidence or even worse: self-harm. Because yes, sad to say, but teens can hurt themselves because of others; they can feel they are not good enough, which, in this world, can cause them great mental pain, or maybe depression.

And most of the people out there not only do not help; they make things worse through their lack of acceptance. People like that usually make hurtful remarks about others’ looks: their faces, their bodies or even their clothes. Not only that, but sometimes they even make offensive comments about their personality and behavior, based on a few seconds of one of their videos. And if the people being insulted try to defend themselves, what is their answer? “Why do you expose videos like this if you can’t stand the criticism?” But their words go beyond criticism into meanness. Because remember: words can hurt people, you don’t have to physically hit them to cause even permanent anxiety, lack of self-confidence, or other mental problems in the other person’s soul. It is very painful that some people do not feel the strength of the words they say.

Since a lot of things going on today make little sense, I do not think that your life will be better if you make rude or hurtful comments to or about others. It won’t help you with your own problems. By embarrassing others, you only drag yourself down. So why not stop it? Bullying is the most vulgar and stupid thing you can do. It is bad for you and painful for others.

It is very sad that instead of helping and supporting each other, people just insult and pick on each other.  And this is exactly what we need to change! Let’s try to help and support each other, let’s try to stand up for the weak, let’s try to make this world better and better.

If we want to change this world into a better place, we should stop bullying on the internet and we should start being more accepting, because this is the best solution to one of the biggest problems of our day.

Instead of dealing with other people on the internet, let’s spend time on our human relationships: friends, family! I believe that everybody can change for the better, so let’s get together and make this happen!

Folyosó is a year old! It began in the spring of 2020, when school in Hungary had gone online in response to COVID-19. In the fall of 2020, we were briefly back together in person; then, in November, we returned to online instruction and did not return to school until mid-May. During this time, students wrote stories, essays, short absurdist plays, and speeches. We present many of these works here, in the Spring 2021 issue.

First of all, we offer you the Wall. What is a wall, what does it mean, what functions does it perform, and how does it affect our lives? Students from Varga and the Lycée Sainte-Pulchérie in Istanbul took up this topic in many different ways, giving us a labyrinth of walls to wend our way around.

Speaking of walls, in honor of this theme, Csilla Vágóné, the lab technician at Varga, contributed several of her photographs of of student-decorated walls to the Folyosó Gallery.

Next, we present a series of absurdist mini-plays by members of Class 9B. Here you will see a turtle pursuing her dream, a clock and a watch engaged in existential argument, a man visiting a grocery store to buy an elephant, and much more.

This issue also features a collection of speeches—again, by students at Varga and the Lycée Sainte-Pulchérie. Some of these are accompanied by audio recordings. Read and hear what the authors have to say about reading, self-transformation, interplanetary colonization, social media, sharks, the environment, and the real source of love.

If you have a penchant for flash fiction, please visit the Story Hour section, where members of Class 9B tell miniature stories from real life. They are funny, touching, and human; some of them are sure to evoke memories of your own.

As for the art, it is an honor to feature Lilla Kassai’s Renaissance Studies (from which the cover art is excerpted) and her drawn interpretation of Michelangelo’s David. Thank you, Lilla, for all the art you have contributed to Folyosó so far.

Folyosó is a place for students to take intellectual and creative risks, to test out ideas that will develop over time, and to enjoy immersion in reading and writing. All of the pieces were chosen for their unusual and genuine qualities.

We hope you enjoy this first anniversary issue of Folyosó! As ever, we welcome your submissions and comments.

Sincerely,

Diana Senechal
English and Civilization Teacher
Editor of Folyosó