| CHAPTER XXIV | CONTENTS | Glossary |
SUBCHAPTERs:
A comprehensive handbook of post-war literature is being prepared under the auspices of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: A magyar irodalom története,1945-75 ed. M. Béládi et al. Vol. 1 Irodalmi élet és kritika (1981) and Vol. 4 A határon túli magyar irodalom (1982) are published so far. B. Pomogáts’s Az újabb magyar irodalom története, 1945-1981 (1982) is a useful compendium. On account of the Hungarian revolution of 1956, material relating to the 1950s, and to the literary aspects of the revolution, is amply documented in English. I. L. Halász de Beky: A Bibliography of the Hungarian Revolution (U. of Toronto Press, 1963), and its supplement to 1965 in F. S. Wagner: The Hungarian Revolution in Perspective (Washington, DC 1967) contain material in most languages. For the background, Tamás Aczél and Tibor Méray, both dramatis personce of events which they relate, Tisztító vihar (London, 1960) is essential. In English: The Revolt of the Mind (N.Y., 1959). A general survey, I. Ivask and G. von Wilpert, eds. World Literature Since 1945 (N.Y., 1973); G. Gömöri: Polish and Hungarian Poetry 1945-56 (OUP, 1966). A background-book containing documents W. Juhász: Hungarian Social Science Reader (Munich,1965), and a bibliography of the intellectual climate, E. László: The Communist Ideology in Hungary (Dordrecht, 1966). G. Gömöri’s ‘Cultural and Literary Developments’ (The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1958) is a short survey of literature up to 1956. P. Ignotus: ‘Literature Before and After’ (Survey, 1962) is another short survey. There is a lively narrative in his Hungary (1972).
On Déry, B. Pomogáts’s book (1974) is an honest attempt to draw a balanced portrait. A concise work in German M. Szenessy: Tibor Déry (Stuttgart, 1970). On the so-called ‘Déry vita’, Vita irodalmunk helyzetéről (1952). In English there is no substantial article, although Déry often hit the headlines around 1960.
Z. Simon: Benjamin László (1972).
There is nothing substantial on Háy and Zelk.
A. Diószegi: Illés Béla alkotásai és vallomásai tükrében (1966).
J. Szabó: Lengyel József alkotásai és vallomásai tükrében (1966). In English, P. Ignotus: ‘The Return of József Lengyel’, Encounter (1965).
For the background of the consolidation era: G. Gömöri and C. Newman eds., New Writing of East Europe (Chicago, 1968), and A. Alvarez: Under Pressure: The Writer and Society: Eastern Europe and the USA (Penguin Books, 1965).
On Weöres: I. Bata: Weöres Sándor közelében (1979), and A. Tamás’s monograph (1978). The important studies in Magyar Műhely (1964) have been largely responsible for his reappraisal in Hungary. In English see J. Reményi’s article in The Modern Language Journal (1949). The English translation of an interview by L. Cs. Szabó, published originally in Magyar Műhely (1967), is in Tri-Quarterly (1967).
On Pilinszky, see L. Fülöp: Pilinszky János (1977). In English Ted Hughes’ eloquent appreciation in Critical Quarterly (1976, reprinted as an introduction to his translations quoted in Texts).
There is nothing substantial on Nemes Nagy.
On Ferenc Juhász and László Nagy, I. Bori: Két költő (Novi Sad, 1967), and many minor studies, including Kenneth McRobbie’s ‘Beyond Nature with a Human Face? F. Juhász’s "Hommage to Karl Marx" ‘ (Canadian Slavonic Papers, 1981).
On contemporary novels see B. Pomogáts: Regénytükör (1977).
L. Zappe: Cseres Tibor (1975).
J. Kónya (1971) and R. Hajdu (1973) have written books about Imre Sarkadi.
On F. Karinthy, K. Szalay’s book (1979). In English, Jean-Luc Moreau: ‘Strangers in Confrontation in the Work of Ferenc Karinthy’ (Books Abroad, 1973).
On the revival of Jewish themes see I. Sanders: ‘Tétova vonzalmak’ (Új Látóhatár, 1975).
Jean-Luc Moreau: ‘Miklós Hubay: Salvation Through Theatre’ (Books Abroad, 1971).
On Vajdaság literature I. Bori: A jugoszláviai magyar irodalom története 1918-tól 1945-ig (Újvidék, 1968).
For a background study of the early phase of ‘Western’ literature, cf. Kázmér Nagy: Elveszett alkotmány (Munich, 1974). There is a general bibliography of periodical publications outside Hungary containing nearly one thousand titles in M. Németh: Külföldi magyar nyelvű hirlapok és folyóiratok címjegyzéke és adattára, 1945-1970 (1972). F. Mérő’s Emigrációs magyar irodalmi lexikon (Cologne, 1966) is a first effort to collect biographies of authors living outside Hungary.
In addition there is a cumulative index to Új Látóhatár, L. Czigány: Repertórium 1950-1975 (Munich, 1976), to Magyar Műhely: S. Kozocsa: A Magyar Műhely indexei, 1962-1972 (Paris, 1972), and to Katolikus Szemle,1949-1978, (Rome, 1980). The general survey of literature in the West is G. Borbándi: ‘A nyugat-európai magyar irodalom intézményrendszere’ (Új Látóhatár, 1975); a collection of essays: Nyugati magyar irodalom. Tanulmányok. ed. Hollandiai Mikes Kelemen Kör (Amsterdam, 1976). In English see a short sketch by G. Gömöri: ‘Tradition and Innovation in the Literature of the Hungarian Diaspora’ (Books Abroad, 1976).
On the generation ’56, L. Czigány: ‘Gyökértelen mint a zászló nyele: A természetes világkép felbomlása az ötvenhatos nemzedék költészetében’ 2 parts. (Új Látóhatár, 1980).
On Tűz, L. Kemenes-Géfin: Halálos szójáték (Toronto, 1976).
Anthony Burgess writes about Rab in The Novel Now (1967) as ‘Hungary’s most important post-war novelist’, a statement which would need more elucidation than he is able to give.
The issue of Irodalmi Ujság for 2 Nov. 1956, the only literary product during the revolution, was reprinted twice (London, 1957, and Paris, 1976) as a supplement to the Irodalmi Ujság re-established abroad. Most of its essential articles were published in English, G. Pálóczi-Horváth ed. One Sentence on Tyranny: Hungarian Literary Gazette Anthology (1957). The poetry of ‘the thaw’ was collected in I. Csicsery-Rónay: Költők forradalma: Antológia, 1953-56 (Washington, 1957), and N. Baudy, ed. Magyar versek, 1953-1956 (Paris, 1959). English anthologies: W. Juhász and R. Rothberg, eds., Flashes in the Night: A Collection of Stories from Contemporary Hungary (N.Y., 1958); R. Conquest: Back to Life: Poems from behind the Iron Curtain (1958); E. Stillman, ed. Bitter Harvest: The Intellectual Revolt Behind the Iron Curtain (N.Y., 1959); I. Duczyńska and K. Polányi eds. The Plough and the Pen.: Writings from Hungary, 1930--1956 (1963) and Landmark: Hungarian Writers on Thirty Years of History ed. by M. Szabolcsi (Bp., 1965).
Déry is widely available; his collected works are being published: Művei (1971- ), except the short story ‘Találkozás’ referred to in the text. This was published abroad in Vidám temetés (London, 1960). The collection A ló meg az öregasszony (1955) contains an essay by G. Lukács. In English there is Niki, the Story of a Dog (1958, 1965; N.Y., 1958, and in Penguin Books, 1961). There are two selections from his short stories: The Giant (1964) and The Portuguese Princess (1966, and Chicago, 1968). Individual stories excluding those which appeared in the above collections: ‘A Mess of Potato’ in I. Duczyńska ed., The Plough and the Pen (1963); ‘Ambition and Hilarity’ in Hungarian Short Stories (1967); ‘Two Women’ (Encounter, 1963); ‘Philemon and Baucis’ (New Statesman, 14 June 1963); ‘Reckoning’ (Encounter, 1963); in addition, excerpts from his novels can be found in New Hungarian Quarterly-from Excommunicator (1965), from Mr G. A. In X (1963), and from No Verdict(1968).
G. Háy: Királydrámák (1964). In English, his Horse is in Three East European Plays (Penguin Books, 1970); Have [Tiszazug] (Vancouver, 1976) and an abridged version of his autobiography: Born 1900 (1974).
Latest collected poems by Z. Zelk: Sirály (1973). Poems by him in English are to be found in R. Conquest, ed., Back to Life (1958), I. Duczyńska ed., The Plough and the Pen; G. Pálóczi-Horváth: One Sentence on Tyranny; J. Grosz and W. A. Boggs: Hungarian Anthology 2nd ed. (Toronto, 1966) and M. Vajda: Modern Hungarian Poetry (Columbia U. P., 1977).
Selected and new poetry by L. Benjámin: Sziklarajzok (1973). In English in the same collections as Zelk, and in addition T. Kabdebó:100 Hungarian Poems (Manchester, 1976).
Béla Illés is widely available. In English there are The Two Eagles (1949) and Carpathian Rhapsody, 2. vols. (Bp. 1963). Sándor Gergely is in print.
Lengyel József: Összes művei (1972- ). Szembesítés, referred to in the text, is available only in English: Confrontation (1973). His other books in English are Prenn Drifting (1966); From Beginning to End and Spell, issued as one volume (1966); The Judge’s Chair (1968), and Acta Sanctorum and Other Tales (1970).
Contemporary Hungarian poetry is published in the yearbook Szép versek (1964- ), containing a selection from the annual output. In English, Miklós Vajda, ed. Modern Hungarian Poetry (Columbia U. P., 1977), with translations mostly from New Hungarian Quarterly and a good introduction by the editor. The latest anthology of post-war literature is by A. Tezla: Ocean at the Window (U. of Minnesota P.,1980).
Sándor Weöres: Egybegyűjtött írások (2 vols. 1970; 2nd enlarged ed. 1973; 3rd ed. 1975). In English there are his Selected Poems in the series Penguin Modern European Poets (1970) and poems in all recent anthologies.
J. Pilinszky’s Kráter (1976) is his latest collected verse. In English: Selected Poems. Translated by fellow-poets Ted Hughes and J. Csokits (Manchester, 1976), also Crater (1978).
Selected poems of Ágnes Nemes Nagy: A lovak és az angyalok (1969), and her collected verse: Között (1981). In English: Selected Poems, tr. by B. Berlind (Iowa City, Iowa 1980).
Collected poems by Ferenc Juhász: A mindenség szerelme (2 vols. 1971-2). His considerable amount of prose has also been collected. In English there are Selected Poems (Penguin Modern European Poets, 1970), and The Boy Changed into a Stag (OUP, 1970), with a spirited introduction by fellow-poet Kenneth McRobbie.
László Nagy’s collected poems, together with pieces previously unpublished, are to be found in Versek és versfordítások, 4 vols. (1975). In English Love of the Scorching Wind: Selected Poems (OUP,1973) with an introductory essay by G. Gömöri.
Margit Szécsi: Új heraldika (1967), and Mit viszel, folyó (1978).
Imre Csanádi: Összegyűjtött versek (1975).
István Kormos: Versei (1979), a collection.
Imre Takács: Elsüllyedt föld, selected poems (1969). Certain lines of ‘Hajdusági naturalizmus’, originally in Új Hang (1954), referred to in the text, are omitted.
András Fodor: A csend szólítása, selected poems (1969), and Kélt újra jel (1979).
Sándor Csoóri in English: Wings of Knives and Nails (Toronto, 1981).
A selection from the annual output of short stories is published yearly in Körkép (1964- ).
Magda Szabó: Művei in progress (1975- ). In English, The Fawn (1963); Tell Sally… (Bp., 1963); Night of the Pig Killing (1965).
I. Örkény’s ‘Fohász’ is in L. Tymand ed. Exploration in Freedom (N.Y., 1970), and ‘Havas tájban két hagymakupola’ (Tri-Quarterly, 1976). There are also short stories in New Hungarian Quarterly (1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1973).
M. Mészöly’s short stories are collected in Átalakulások (1977).
Gyula Hernádi: Az ég bútorai, a collection of short stories, (1976), and Fivérem holnap, a collection of his plays (1976).
F. Karinthy: Spring comes to Budapest (Bp., 1964). Of his plays Bösendorfer (Steinway Grand, N.Y., 1968) and Gőz (Hot Air, N.Y., 1969) have been translated.
Imre Sarkadi’s collected works are entitled A szökevény, 2 vols. (1962). In English, The Coward and Other Stories (Bp., 1967).
E. Fejes’s plays are collected in Kéktiszta szerelem (1971). Rozsdatemető has been translated as Generation of Rust (N.Y., 1970).
Gy. Fekete: Death of a Doctor (Bp., 1965).
Gy. Konrád: The Case Worker (N.Y., 1974) and The City Builder (N.Y., 1977).
Illés Kaczér: Fear not, my Servant Jacob (1947) and The Siege of Jericho (1949) were also published together under the title The Siege (N.Y., 1953).
Many of Arnóthy’s novels have been translated into English, including Haldokló Budapest ( I am Fifteen and I Do Not Want to Die,1956; N. Y. ,1956, and Glasgow,1958). Neither Bikich nor Csokits has published volumes; a selection from their poetry is in Z. Szabó, ed., Kilenc költő (London, 1959).
Many of Határ’s works are still in manuscript. Some, including Pepito et Papita (1963), Anibel (1969), and Archie Dumbarton (1977) appeared in French translation only. His poems are collected in Hajszálhíd (Munich, 1970), his plays in Sírónevető (Munich, 1972).
T. Tűz: Válogatott versek (Toronto, 1972).
Béla Szász’s books Minden kényszer nélkül was originally published in Hungarian under the pseudonym Vincent Savarius. The English version is Volunteers for the Gallows (1971).
Rab’s books were originally published in French; the Hungarian manuscripts still await publication. In English there are Journey into Blue (1960); A Room in Budapest (1962), and Sabaria (1963).
Gábor’s trilogy is available in English, entitled East of Man (Toronto,1975).
There is an anthology of poetry in English selected from Füveskert, the original Nemzetőr group: From the Hungarian Revolution, ed. David Ray (Cornell U. P.1966). Two recent anthologies contain a wide selection from ‘Western’ Hungarian poetry: Nyugati magyar költók antológiája (Bern, 1980) ed. L. Kemenes Géfin and Vándorének (1981) ed. M. Béládi.
The anthology Új égtájak, ed. V. Juhász and G. Gömöri (Washington, 1969), contains a selection from the generation of ‘56.
| CHAPTER XXIV | CONTENTS | Glossary |