Find Michael Pisztora’s display at the Christian Science Reading Room, 143 Sixth Street.
“Mom is Slovak and Dad is Hungarian. My actual name is Michael (Misch-ah-ehl), but nobody can say it. I had to tell people my name’s Michael (Mike-el) because it’s just that nobody can say it.”
I was born in Boston on the way to the hospital. Both of my brothers were born in Switzerland. My Mom is Slovak and my Dad is Hungarian. I call my mom, Mama, and my dad, Papa. In Hungarian Papa is Apu.
My actual name is Michael (Misch-ah-ehl), but nobody can say it. I had to adapt to tell people my name’s Michael (Mike-el) because it’s just that nobody can say it.
They say Mike-el, which isn’t my name, so I just go by Michael now. Here in the U.S. I’m Mike-el, but when I go back to Europe I’m Misch-ah-ehl. My Hungarian Dad wanted to call me Mischi, but in Slovak, mischi means mice. Mischi is the Hungarian nickname for Misch-ah-el, but Mom was like, “No, no, you can’t say ‘mice’.”
Always Made New 