In the press:

The second novel by this author (1941) also reads smoothly. A somewhat older teacher is sent to Hungary as part of an exchange project (Comenius) to prepare for it. In Hungary he meets resistance from the teaching staff at the local school, and his escort is more interested in good food and drink. After meeting her friend, he falls in love with her. Then a number of developments follow quickly: the project seems finally to be getting on track, the desired woman is offered to him, but he returns to Belgium anyway. Only then, on the plane, does he read two emails that had been sent to him in Hungary. De Jonghe has not only written an entertaining story (in which Hungarian traits are described very recognizably), but has also given it a surprising ending. Paperback; standard print.
(J.T.G. Maes in NBD/Biblion)

Because his colleague Daniël is unavailable, physics teacher Gust Solleen is sent to Hungary by his school to start a Comenius project there. Gust is actually more than happy with this escape from his marriage to Erna, which is dead in all but name, and away from his challenging stepdaughter Sietske. He even hopes that the trip can be a new beginning for him. Director Jaegers promises him an enthusiastic team at a motivated school in Hungary, and lets him know that history teacher Zoltán Mól will be fully at his disposal during his stay. Upon landing in Budapest, however, he is met by someone who hardly resembles a motivated teacher, but who turns out to be Zoltán Mól. Gradually Gust gets to know the impoverished school in Budalito, headmistress Katalin, who turns out to have her own agenda, sports teacher János Mester, who openly criticizes the project, and Magda Hellner, English teacher since Russian was abolished at the school, although she herself hardly masters the English language. Gust soon realizes that the trip to Hungary will not resolve his problems, but will instead cause quite a few new ones. He meets the Gypsy woman Márta, Zoltán's wife, who completely throws him off balance with her sensual dance. When circumstances lead him to go to the opera alone with her one evening, his romantic fantasies break through all barriers. The last day in Hungary, however, still holds many surprising twists for the confused Gust and for the reader. The book paints a fine picture of Hungarian education, which, incidentally, is anything but fine, but it is also a story about a frustrated teacher who drowns in his personal problems and for whom everything goes wrong. De Jonghe describes the 'tragic' adventure of the desperate Gust with a smile, although the tone of the story is rather gloomy and offers little hope, both for Hungarian education and for Gust as a person. In form, Hungarian Dance is a 'classic' story with a clear main character and an occasional flashback to clarify certain matters. The language is quite sober, the subject recognizable and the story easy to follow. The personal third-person narrator (Gust) is personal enough to let you empathize with his confused feelings, but creates enough distance to also get to know Hungarian life.
[Kelly Loos] 31/12/2010 - Copyright (c) Vlabin-VBC - source: De Leeswolf