Visit to the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

Before I talk about the meeting, a few lines on the background. My father, Lóránd Szűcs, was a staunch supporter of Viktor Orbán for the last 20 years of his life. I enjoyed discussing politics with my father, he was well-informed, and in many cases we had constructive political debates, but we considered it important not to mix emotions and passions. He had several pens, one of which he had long wanted to donate to the Prime Minister (he did not specify which one), but he was unable to do so as he passed away in 2017 (I created a memorial page about him: lorand.hu, and a longer piece about him was published on fortepan).

A few weeks ago I made myself write a letter to the Prime Minister. The occasion was that while I was packing my things I came across some photos of the first Bálványos student camp I took in 1990. These pictures have never been published anywhere, and it seems that no one else had taken any photos at the camp (I couldn't find any other photographers from that time). I thought it was the right time to fulfil my father's wish, with a surprise. In the letter, I mentioned that it might be time to replace the Prime Minister's Parker pen with a more elegant, classic Hungarian-made, gold-tipped fountain pen. I did not mention the 1990 photos.

Three weeks later, to my amazement, I received a phone call to say that the Prime Minister was expecting me for coffee on Monday. I had a few days to collect the pens I could use and make a collage of the photos. I examined each pen individually, and had to change the piston and adjust the nibs on some of them. I tried to do a thorough job, and in the last hours I kept on doing more and more tests (the nibs were nervous too: some of them were stubborn). My son was invited too, but I kept the invitation a secret until the last hour (if the meeting was cancelled, he should not be disappointed). I also prepared a 1928 gold-tipped, colour silver nib for his wife, Anikó Lévai. I gave this in memory of my mother, as she was very fond of her. Before leaving, I was struck by the fact that all ten fingers were inked, which is a natural, everyday condition. After a massive scrub with vinegar I managed to get most of the stains out and then deodorised the back of my hand. We took the train to South Station (Budapest), and from there walked up to the castle. I gave my son a short etiquette lesson on the way. Although I had met the Prime Minister before in 1990, it was in a more relaxed setting (I had previously met Péter Szijjártó in Singapore, I took the only photo with him and János Kóka, and a few years later I interviewed István Nagy, the Minister of Agriculture). Let the photos tell the story of the meeting.

Szűcs Tamás and Orbán Viktor
With my son in the first minutes. We were a bit nervous.

Orbán Viktor és Szűcs Tamás
Original copy of the Gazette in which Samuell Sewall reports on 6 September 1685 that Buda has been recaptured from the Turks.