“Rigo Janči” picture book by Anđa Marić – Hungarian edition presentation
The Hungarian edition of the picture book “Rigo Jancsi – Love as Sweet Inspiration” was presented at the Museum of Trade and Tourism in Budapest. The original project is a result of cooperation of our museum and Tea Perinčić from the Maritime and Historical Museum of the Croatian Littoral five years ago. The author of the picture book is Anđa Marić, a famous Croatian musician, blogger and author of stories for children, and the beautiful illustrations are signed by Stjepan Lukić.
The Hungarian edition of the picture book was presented in Budapest by the author Anđa Marić, Silvano Frančišković from the publishing house Uliks and Svetozar Nilović Tozo from PEEK&POKE. Dora Dobos spoke on behalf of the host. The presentation was moderated by Orsolyne Vella Varga. The Hungarian edition will contribute that this incredible and cinematic love story will never be forgotten again. The presentation of the picture book, which followed a recent “Rigo Jancsi” exhibition, attracted many visitors and guests, among whom was Mladen Andrlić, ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in Budapest.
Janos Rigo, born in 1858 in the Hungarian village of Pákozd near Székesfehérvár and was part of a large family from Roma that took him to Paris, where Janos was noticed at a performance by Princess Clara Ward, the daughter of a rich American entrepreneur married to the Belgian Prince de Caraman-Chimaya. Clara was a free spirit, unencumbered by the social conventions of the time, and fell in love with the charming Janos, so she decided to leave the life she had known until then and go on a world tour with the chosen one of her heart. Janos and Clara captured attention by becoming one of the first offshoots of celebrity culture; their every step was followed, her statements were transmitted all over the world, and even the famous Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made their portrait.
Although they did not stay together until the end, their love inspired, among other things, the cake named after Janos – Jancsi Rig. The exact birthplace of the “Rijeka-Hungarian” cake is not known, but research by Svetozar Nilović and Tea Perinčić shows that the original recipe probably came from Hungary. The most romantic version says that Rigo wanted to come up with a cake for his beloved that was dark like his skin, soft like her soul and sweet like their love. Considering the strong ties between Budapest and Kvarner, it is not unusual that the dessert came to the main Hungarian port at the time and became part of the gastronomic identity of our region, fell into oblivion over time and thanks to this whole story, returned again to the collective memory. What further strengthens the whole story is the fact that at the end of the nineties of the 18th century, Janos and Clara stayed in Rijeka for a short time.
This story is a project of The Childhood Museum PEEK&POKE, a sister museum to our computer museum. The Childhood Museum PEEK&POKE is temporarily closed due to moisture problems in the space, but the plan is to open the upper level by this summer.
