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).
Response from Buckingham Palace
A month ago I wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth II. A little late, but the reply arrived today. Unfortunately, she did not have the opportunity to reply in person. The Queen is well, although she will have to give up her daily dry Martini. It's not easy for her either! You can read about the questions I asked the Queen about here.
Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Feathers
I recently observed the fountain pen of Viktor Orbán, and now I'm looking at the pens of a similar prominent person, Queen Elizabeth II. And Elizabeth II is known to favour the best of the best, whether it's the vast collection of sparkling gems, the simple sunglasses she often wears or the hundreds of magnificent hats she wears. Of course, his writing instruments are no exception. There must be at least as many pens as there are hats, with more and more beautiful writing instruments in the photos. Recently, an article appeared on 24.hu, referring to Yahoo, that the Queen refuses to use anything but Parker 51 pens, "The Queen has several Parker models, which she changes, but has stuck with the brand for nearly sixty years." Gliding on the wings of Pegasus, I gathered all the facts and asked the question, is this really true?
Star is born / Montblanc fountain pen repair
The star at the end of the cap is the jewel of every Montblanc pen. Especially on older models, this star sometimes falls out. In a lucky case, if you notice the falling star in time, you can breathe a sigh of relief, but if it disappears forever, it has to be replaced in some way. This is what happened to this antique 132 Montblanc Mesterstück pen. The birth of a new star is shown below.
Exploding fountain pen
Many newspaper articles appeared in Hungary after 1942 about fountain pens that exploded on contact. These pens were allegedly dropped from aircraft into enemy territory during the war. The latest is an article published in 2012 in Magyar Nemzet, which analyses whether such weapons existed at all. No physical evidence has survived, but there are stories and legends. A collection of newspaper articles on the subject will give the reader an idea of how much propaganda and how much reality the exploding fountain pen was.
Am I a target?
Shadow of a star / Ilie Nastase
In an unusual twist, a fountain pen in honour of living celebrity Ilie Năstase has been created by the Italian company Montegrappa. The tennis star from Romania won the men's doubles at Roland Garros in the 1970s with Ion Tiriac and reached the Davis Cup final three times. Nastase won more than a hundred singles and doubles tournament titles in the 1970s and 1980s, was one of the fastest players of his time, renowned for his powerful serve and brilliant strokes, and entertained the crowd while playing. But the recent past of Romania's star is less glamorous. He could face several years in prison.
... the newspaper wrote about me!
interview with Tamás Szűcs (tompens owner)
For almost three years after the first invitation, I was wondering whether I should give an interview to the press about what I do. At about the same time, I was approached by two newspapers, a left-wing liberal (ballib in jargon) and a pro-goverment news. But it is more an opinion that I finally said yes to a newspaper that is not published in Hungary, but in Slovakia, in "neutral" territory. From there it is transported to Hungary every week. They do this because no printing house in Hungary dares to print it. So at least I can say that I am published in foreign press. Below you can read the full text from the 24 May (2019/21) issue of Magyar Hang:
