Hunglish.orgSure, maybe you don't know how to write or read Hungarian, but that shouldn't stop expats from buying a translation or two of some noteworthy Hungarian literature by some of the most loved of all Hungarian authors.
Only unbeing can branch and feather,
only becoming blooms at all;
what is must break, or fade, or wither.
---Atilla, József from his poem, Consciousness
Great writers, in this case, a Hungarian writer like Atilla József, makes a case for the value of carefully construed words with the remnants of his art. A talented writer, whether Hungarian or not, is able to function much like a seed that is responsible for bringing important historical and cultural aspects into the social strata for reflection and growth. There are many Hungarian writers who are pioneers in conveying to the world what it means to not only be human but what it means to be Hungarian. These are celebrated writers in Hungary and they have bloomed like flowers across not only their own countryside, but across the world and throughout centuries. Literature, the world over, can teach cultures to connect, if nothing else, on a basic rudimentary level of what it means to be human. For expats living in Hungary, it may help to take on the task of delving into the consciousness of some of the minds of Hungarian writers in order to shed light on what it really means to be Hungarian.
There is something to be said about reading creative stories and poems of great art, something about the fabric of culture that can be split apart by it. For those expats living in Hungary trying to penetrate a few Hungarian novels may be the way to do this. Expats who do not yet know the language can look for good translations. Or better yet, if you can read Hungarian fluently, begin by reading a few books in their original Hungarian languages. Starting off, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many leading literary figures emerged from Hungary, from poets to dramatists to novelists. A few of these artists will be explored, as to what their works are, a few brief details about their lives, and how they affected Hungarian literature and even world literature.
Károly Kisfaludy and his brother Sándor, for example, were both poets and dramatists that reached high acclaim in Hungary in drama, poetry and journalism. János Arany was another artist esteemed in Hungarian literature who wrote many influential ballads while Mihály Vörösmarty is known as one of the greatest poets in the history of Hungarian poetry. Sándor Petőfi made his mark as well with his famous epic poetry. Other popular writers of Hungary include Mór Jókai who was a romantic novelist and the poet Endre Ady. Atilla József lived a difficult life yet still managed to become one of the greatest Hungarian writers of all time. A few more important dramatists include Ferenc Herczeg and Ferenc Molnár, all of whom received international fame as well, not just in Hungary.
Károly Kisfaludy
To begin with, Károly Kisfaludy was a Hungarian man who lived from 1788-1830 and who began his literary career when he wrote, Tatars in Hungary in 1819. It was the first genuinely dramatic Hungarian play and with this he established the national drama and the Hungarian Romantic Movement at that time. With his brother Sándor, Kisfaludy worked on his vigorous, influential literary journal, Aurora. From Kisfaludy came the comedies The Suitors and The Rebels and the tragedy Irene. His brother, Sándor Kisfaludy, is considered the first major romantic poet of Hungary. He is especially celebrated for his two volumes of love lyrics, The Loves of Himfy.
János Arany
János Arany is another influential Hungarian writer who is also considered one of the founders of modern Hungarian poetry. He lived from 1817-1882 and was also an actor, notary, editor and professor of Hungarian literature at the Nagy-Koros College. The poems he is known for include: The Lost Constitution (1845), Toldi (1846) and then Toldi’s Eve (1854) and Toldi’s Love (1879). He also wrote an epic trilogy of poetry, King Buda’s Death (1936), Ildiko, and Prince Csaba (both unfinished), and his ballads that he wrote are considered some of his finest work.
Mihály Vörösmarty
For those expats who appreciate an inventive poet, Mihály Vörösmarty was considered one of the greatest Hungarian poets of all time who created a new poetic language that combined the national and classical schools of thought. His career as a writer began when he wrote his epic poem, The Flight of Zalan in 1825. He is most known abroad for his patriotic lyrics like The Call (1837) , Zalan’s Flight , Erlan (1825), and Two Neighboring Castles (1831). Vörösmarty also wrote dramas and critical works and translated the Thousand and One Nights and other works of Shakespeare in addition to writing his own unique and successful work. By Hungarians he is unrivalled as a master of poetic form and language by many means, especially by recreating a lost mythical tradition with many heroic epics.
Sándor Petõfi
Another Hungarian poet and patriot that reached fame in Hungary but who died at a young age was Sándor Petőfi who lived between 1823 and 1849. He was a failure as an actor but became the author of exquisite lyrics that have survived centuries. He composed the national poem, Talpra Magyar (1848), and several epics, including Janos Vitez (1845, tr. 1866). His poetry served as inspiration to the patriots of the Hungarian revolution, in which he was killed.
Mór Jókai
Around the same time, during 1825 through until 1904, a Hungarian romantic novelist and journalist reached the Hungarian people’s attention, Mór Jókai, he was a passionate nationalist who later became a fugitive from the Austrians. He became a member of Hungarian parliament and has been compared with Dickens and Scott for his prolific and humorous style. Of his novels, two of the more popular were, An Hungarian Nabob (1894, tr. 1898) and Black Diamonds (1870, tr. 1896). His novels became worldwide reading and have been translated in over 25 languages.
Endre Ady
Down below from where I currently work is a coffee house where the beloved poet, Endre Ady, used to sit and write his poems centuries ago. When he was young he left his studies as a journalism and literature student to write his first volume of poetry called Versek, which appeared in 1899. He moved to Paris, fell in love and wrote a great number of poems to the subject of his love. His writing was considered original and creative in its use of language and over time he also became involved as a political leader of Hungarian writers who attacked the materialism of Hungary’s upper classes. By the end of his life, Ady’s poetry was published in a numerous, 12 volumes and his prose in 7. The reoccurring themes in his poetry are God, Hungary, and the fight for survival. Later he wrote more on money and life and death and love. He was influenced by Baudelaire, the French poet and Verlaine as well. He often used symbolism in his writing.
Jozsef Atilla
Into the 20th century came another writer, Jozsef Atilla, who was born in 1905 and who tragically died in 1937. He was to be one of the greatest Hungarian writers of his time. He wrote, Szepseg Koldusa/Beggar of Beauty (1922), at the age of 17, it was his debut into the literary world. Nem en Kialtok/That’s not me Shouting (1925) came later while attending university when he was expelled for his revolutionary poem, Tisza szível/With a Pure Heart. This destroyed any hopes he had to teach and made a living instead by selling newspapers and cleaning while he continued to study. Nincsen Apam se Anyam/Fatherless and Motherless (1929) was another of his works. Atilla suffered greatly during his life from extreme poverty and depression and his poems express that melancholy side but also a faith in life’s beauty and redemption. He tried to commit suicide at the age of 9 but did conclude his life until later at the age of 32 by throwing himself in front of a freight train, although some experts say it was by accident. He was an independent thinker, a bitter critic of the government and a right radical who broke with the Communist Party. His collection of more mature poems appeared in1932 which were called, Külvárosiéj/Night in the Slums. His most famous love poem, Oda/Ode from 1933 took the reader for a journey around and inside the body of a loved woman. József's last two books were Medvetánc/Bear Dance (1934) and Nagyon Fáj/It hurts a lot (1936). With these works he gained wide critical acclaim. He later produced some of his best poetry while severely depressed in the hospital before his death. Hungary’s writer, Ferenc Herczeg lived and wrote between 1863 and 1954 and was known for his popular romantic farces as well as his historical and social novels, plays, and stories which were ironic and detached in nature. He spoke for the Hungarian gentry, although the mild satire of such social novels as The Golden Violin (1916) partly transcended this orientation. Some of his plays have been translated.
Ferenc Molnàr
A final dramatist and novelist mentioned within the text is Ferenc Molnár who lived around the same time period (1878-1952), for some time he was a journalist and wrote prolific plays, novels, stories, sketches, dialogues and war reports. He is best known for his plays Liliom (1909), which was made into the musical comedy, Carousel, The Guardsman (1910); and The Swan (1920). Molnár’s dialogue was intensely sharp and his technique was considered masterful, he immigrated to the United States during the Nazi regime and later wrote film scripts, he was famed as a wit in his time.
Write into Hunglish if there are any other Hungarian writer's you'd put on this list, and until then, I better start reading fast.
Written by Natalie Jaro