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My Hungarian Könyvespolc (Bookshelf)
As mentioned in my entry about my literary escapade in Budapest, I gathered some names while traveling. There’s a great list of Hungarian writers on Wikipedia; my list isn’t here to compete with what Wikipedia can provide. It’s a personal list, a reminder of the names that caught my eyes.
I visited Mór Jókai’s residence in Balatonfüred where I learnt he was the most famous Hungarian writer of the 19th century.
As I’d never heard of him, I had to check him out later on. Only Rêve et vie is available in French but he did write a lot of novels. I wonder why they aren’t translated.
I’ve also visited the Petőfi Sándor museum. Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849) was something like the Hungarian Lermontov (1814-1841). Both were poets, died young and were in the military. Sándor Petőfi was a renowned poet and only 26 when he disappeared during the war following the Hungarian revolution of 1848. He’s considered as Hungary’s national poet. I’m curious about his poetry –although he’s a Romantic—but I wonder how Hungarian poetry can be successfully translated into French without losing too much.
Of course, I spent some time in a bookstore and came back with books:
I’m looking forward to read them, especially Colours and Years because it’s written by a woman. Apart from these, my TBR of Hungarian literature consists of a few other novels:
- Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
- Oliver VII by Antal Szerb
- Epépé by Férenc Kárinthy
- N.N. by Gyula Krúdy that I intend to read with Passage à l’Est in July
- Fateless by Imre Kertész that I’ll read in September with Caroline
I know I should read The Door by Magda Szabó and Satantango by László Krasznahorkai but every time I’ve had them in hand in a bookstore, I’ve put them down. Dark and daunting. I’m not sure they’re for me. I’d rather read Journey Around My Skull by Frigyes Kárinthy.
Here’s a list of writers I want to explore, the problem is time, time, time…
Writer | In English | In French | |
Endre Ady | 1877-1919 | Neighbours of the Night. Selected Short Stories | |
Iván Bächer | 1957-2013 | Magyar Menu | |
Miklos Banffy | 1973-1950 | The Transilvania Trilogy | La Trilogie de Transylvanie |
Adam Biro | Two Jews on a Train: Stories from the Old Country and the New.One Must Also Be Hungarian | Deux Juifs voyagent dans un train | |
Peter Esterházy | 1950- | The Glance of Countess Hahn-Hahn (down the Danube)Celestial HarmoniesShe Loves Me | L’œillade de la comtesse Hahn-HahnHarmonia cælestisUne femme |
Géza Gardonyi | 1963-1922 | Eclipse of the Crescent Moon | |
Mór Jókai | 1825-1904 | The Man With The Golden Touch | Rêve et vie |
Margit Kaffka | 1880-1918 | Colours and Years. A Novel | Couleurs et années |
Győrgy Konrád | 1933- | The Case Worker | Départ et retour |
Endre Kukorelly | 1951- | – | Je flânerai un peu moins |
Gyula Krúdy | 1878-1933 | The Charmed Life of Kázmér RezedaThe Adventures of Sinbad | N.N. |
André Lorant | – | Le perroquet de Budapest : une enfance revisitée | |
Kálmán Mikszáth | 1847-1910 | St Peter’s Umbrella. A Novel | Le parapluie de Saint Pierre |
Ferenc Mólnar | 1878-1952 | The Paul Street Boys | Les gens de la rue Paul (jeunesse)Liliom ou la vie et la mort d’un vaurien pour le moment. (théâtre) |
Zsigmond Móricz | 1879-1942 | RelationsBe Faithful Unto Death | L’épouse rebelle |
Péter Nádas | 1942- | Parallel Stories | Histoires parallèles |
Petőfi Sándor | 1823-1849 | Selection From Poems | Nuages |
János Székely | 1901-1958 | – | L’Enfant du DanubeLes infortunes de Svoboda |
Lajos Zilahy | The Dukays | Les Dukays |
If someone is interested, you can find my billets about Hungarian books filed under the category Hungarian literature. (Sándor Márai, István Örkény, Zsigmond Móricz, Dezső Kosztolányi, Frigyes Karinthy, Antal Szerb, Milán Füst)
Do you know any of these writers? If yes which ones and who would you recommend?
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