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Laszlo Csizmadi Special user From Hell 868 Posts |
Hi Everyone,
My english isn't 100%perfect. I live in Canada but originally I'm from Hungary Budapest. I met a Hungarian person on the net and he claimed he had a forgotten family (magicians). This three generation (Vanek) family were magicians. The great grandpa started to perform about 1845-1850.(before Houdini born). Later he was performing with his son. Mostly he performed in Europe but he was performing in the States from 1872-1878. After he retired his son was a performer for a while and later his grandson was performing until about 1970-1975. The grandson had a stepson who is asking me to help him. Even his mom was a magician. He doesn't speak any english.He would like to see that today magicians can read about his family in the magic history books and not forgotten. His great grandpa was all around the world and yes once he was one of the greatest. He has a lot of proof (pictures,posters even newspaper wrote about him, etc). He sent me already some copy from the documents. He said he will send me a lot more. I searched here in the Café before but never ever was mentioned this family name. All I found a couple words in the T.A Waters Encyclopediea of magic and magicians and only from the oldest family member. I want to help this person and make him happy before he pass away. Anyone planning to write a magic history book? My email address is: laci200@yahoo.com Best Las |
MagiClyde Special user Columbus, Ohio 871 Posts |
Did you ever check Milbourne Christopher's "Illustrated History of Magic"?
Magic! The quicker picker-upper!
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Magiguy Inner circle Seattle, WA 5467 Posts |
This would be a great question for Clay Shevlin. I'll mail him a copy of your post.
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Damon Regular user 108 Posts |
Hi Las,
Sounds very interesting. If your friend has a lot in the way of information, I would hope someone could help him to get some of this published for magic posterity also. If not in book form, maybe a nice magazine article in one of our many magic publications. I will search for information on the Vanek’s for you with the resources I have, and pass along what I find. Here is one bit of information from Bart Whaley’s Who’s Who in Magic on one of his relatives. Good luck!! Mark Vanek, Professor Joseph (Pest, Hungary: 31 Jul 1818-11 Dec 1889) Serious amateur magician since childhood. Professor of Physics at the Pester Seminar 1843-1848. Superintendent of the Hungarian Treasury's printing office 1849 during the Kossuth regime. Fled that year to Turkey where he turned pro magician, being appointed Court Conjuror. Toured Turkey (c1850), south Europe, Greece, France (1854), England (1854-55). Returned to Hungary in 1855 under amnesty. Then toured Hungary (1855-59), Turkey (1859), Egypt, Persia, the Balkans, Greece, France, & Spain. His 3rd tour (1867-1878) took him to Persia, India (1868-69), Southeast Asia & the Far East, USA & Canada (1871-73), Japan (1874), & India (1878). Retired in Budapest in 1878 to run a coffee house & import Far Eastern goods. [Daw;Vo57;Dif;St;Bo#199;Win] |
Damon Regular user 108 Posts |
I Las,
Just me again. I found two very nice articles on Joseph Vanek in the old magic magazine called the Sphinx. One is in the July, 1937 issue and includes a great full page portrait of him. The other is in the October, 1938 issue which includes the same portrait but smaller, along with a few playbills. If you don’t have access to these, I would be happy e-mail you scans, or send you hardcopies from my issues. Just P.M. me your e-mail or mailing address. I’ll keep searching also. Regards, Mark Damon |
Laszlo Csizmadi Special user From Hell 868 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-09-03 22:07, clynim wrote: Sorry Clynim I don't have that book. Anyway thanks for your help. Las |
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