A Hungarian Naturalist in 19th-Century Sarawak
Egy 19. századi magyar természettudós Borneó szigetén
Xántus and/és Borneo chronicles the extraordinary life of Hungarian adventurer, collector and explorer János Xántus, whose legacy is both captivating and complex. Presented in both Hungarian and English, this bilingual volume charts Xántus' 1870 journey through Sarawak, Borneo using archival materials, personal accounts and writings—now accessible to English readers for the very first time.
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From fighting for Hungary’s independence and escaping prison to discovering new species and assembling a rich assortment of 19th-century Southeast Asian ethnography and natural history, János Xántus left an indelible mark on history.
This bilingual Hungarian-English volume offers four of Xántus’ writings from his expedition to Sarawak, Borneo in 1870, available in English for the first time. It brings his expedition to life through archival records, personal accounts, and writings, inviting readers to reflect on the ambitions and contradictions of a man whose passion shaped the world around him.
A Note on the Texts I Megjegyzés a szövegekről
List of Illustrations I Illusztrációk jegyzéke
List of Abbreviations for Archival Sources I Rövidítések jegyzéke
Foreword I Előszó
Dr. Petra Ponevács-Pana, Ambassador of Hungary to Malaysia
Foreword I Előszó
Francisco Munis, Ambassador of Malaysia to Hungary
Preface I Előszó
Acknowledgements I Köszönetnyilvánítás
Introduction: Xántus Fever I „Xántus-láz” és bevezető a kötethez
Chapter 1 I 1. fejezet
“If I Become the Master of My Time ...”: A Hungarian Collector on the Island of Borneo
„Ha időmnek ura leszek …” Egy magyar gyűjtő Borneó szigetén
János Gyarmati
Chapter 2 I 2. fejezet
Snapshots from the History of Sarawak: Setting the Scene for Xántus
Pillanatképek Sarawakról: Xántus útjának történelmi kontextusa
Christopher Higgs
Chapter 3 I 3. fejezet
Xántus the Travel Writer and Images of Borneo
in Hungary
Xántus útleírásai és Borneó képe Magyarországon
Balázs Venkovits & Gábor Pusztai
Chapter 4 I 4. fejezet
The Sarawak Expedition
A Sarawak-expedíció
Tamas Kiss
Chapter 5 I 5. fejezet
The 1880 Report
Az 1880-as beszámoló
Chapter 6 I 6. fejezet
Homeward Bound: The First Sarawak Report
Hazafelé: Az első sarawaki cikk
Chapter 7 I 7. fejezet
Homeward Bound: The Second Sarawak Report
Hazafelé: A második sarawaki cikk
Chapter 8 I 8. fejezet
Homeward Bound: The Third Sarawak Report
Hazafelé: A harmadik sarawaki cikk
References I Irodalomjegyzék
Index I Index
Dr Tamas Kiss is an Associate Professor at Sunway University where he focuses on research in applied linguistics and intercultural communication. A Hungarian by origin, he is passionate about Borneo’s history.
Dr Balázs Venkovits (PhD, Dr. Habil) is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Institute of English and American Studies, University of Debrecen, Hungary. His research primarily focuses on the fields of travel writing and migration studies.
Christopher Higgs is an independent researcher and podcast producer with the Borneo Perantis Co-Research Initiative, where he focuses on investigating Sarawak and Borneo history through primary sources.
National Book Award - 2025
National Book Development Foundation
Language & Translation: Best Translated Book
Basic Information
- 978-629-7646-31-2 (Hardback)
- 978-629-7646-42-8 (E-book)
