Acknowledgements (Part II of III)

The Beacons of Budapest



Jane Hattatt in Budapest Drawing Room

Lance Hattatt in Budapest Drawing Room

Hattattian (rhymes with Alsatian)

1. adj. to subtly elevate and enlighten

2. Hattattian Clause: in grammar, a clause in the middle of a sentence, framed by commas, that is traditionally referred to in the Style Manuals as "Non-Essential".  A Hattattian Clause is non-essential in the formal structure of a sentence but in Hattattian dialog it is essential to allow a reader/listener a moment to steady themselves in order to receive the rhetorical delicacy about to pass over like a warm breeze.

It wasn't so long ago that I discovered The Hattatts while making the rounds at my usual blog haunts. Jane and Lance aka "Darlings Jane and Lance" had been out of circulation for a while (as regards to the blogosphere) and suddenly reemerged and their rapier wit quickly caught my eye and could gather by their always warm receptions that they were a pair to be looked into.  I ventured over to their delightful blog HATTATT to see what all the fuss was about, pored through the archives, and felt like I'd found something, and two someones, quite special.  More research only confirmed first impressions.

I felt a very deep connection to them as kindred spirits because they were already doing the things I wanted to one day undertake.  They lived quite well at their elegant lodgings in Budapest and Brighton, traveled to exotic locales rendezvousing with dynamic and interesting people but what I most liked went much further than that and didn't require great wealth even if they did seem to be rather well-to-do.  I've known lots of people with ample resources, lots of fancy material possessions, and personal charm who didn't live nearly as beautifully as they did.  While I certainly became fascinated with their circle of friends and young artists they were introducing to the world, what impressed me most was how well they shared their experiences which in my case was in their wonderful blog HATTATT.

A post at HATTATT isn't like a post anywhere else.  I like to think of it as an elegant chamber piece where the reader is often introduced to some combination of interesting artist, destination, and cultural institution.  The Hattatts share this experience thru their eyes which, while well traveled and cultivated, still have an infectious enthusiasm.  You can't finish a post without wishing you were also there...with Jane and Lance.  One can't but be reminded how participating in these types of cultural excursions in person enrich the soul.  As good as all of that is, for me what follows is even better as it reveals a glimpse into their character.  They are flooded with so many comments that it exceeds the capacity of the standard comment warehouse; they need a separate link to handle overflow yet somehow answer each and every comment very thoughtfully with a  personal acknowledgement of the sender while expanding on the point the sender made in a way that can't help but draw that commenter even closer to the topic at hand and their generous hosts.  Every reader is richly rewarded with an introduction and invitation to a new cultural experience and the intimacy of sharing an aspect of that experience with a gracious host.  How many times in your life have you come across people that take the time and effort to do that?...and with people they've never met?

Well it goes even further than that as many of you already know.  They also bring the same generous spirit, inimitable charm, and beautiful writing with them when they go visit their reader's blogs.  On a few occasions I've seen them stop in at a new blogger who had just posted something not especially original, well written, or in any way noteworthy yet they always manage to illuminate an interesting perspective and deftly reflect their keen insight onto the author.  The best part of this exchange is sensing that blogger's exhilaration of (a) having the Hattatts stop by (b) receiving a thoughtful and beautifully expressed gesture of praise (c) and knowing the exhilaration, because of this transaction, will carry over into other 'IRL' aspects of that blogger.  This is what I really mean by Hattattian and what I aspire to.

~GSL