György Hazai was one of the eminent scholars of Turkology of the 20th-21st century. Inspired by Arminius Vámbéry, pupil of Gyula Németh, colleague of Tibor Halasi-Kun, Andreas Tietze, Louis Bazin, Alessio Bombaci, Barbara Kellner-Heinkele and so many others who have determined this field of research in the past century. He enhanced the scholarly methodology by introducing the numerological approach to linguistics. His devotion to the field has created a remarkable œuvre.

It is with true love that we recommend this volume to the attention of those who are interested in the history of Turkology. We are offering an insight into the tough decades of the second half of the 20th century. The time when it was not easy for a scholar from Hungary to live for academia and remain human. As the author put it: "You’ve got to stand your ground in heavy headwinds and also find the quiet lee side."