Hungarian literature

The Hungarian literature is written in Hungarian literature in the strict sense. In a broader sense, one can also expect to any written or in Hungary by Hungarian authors literature.

Start time

From pre-Christian times some inscriptions are only available in Hungarian runes. Since Christianization by Stefan I. The Latin alphabet was used more. From the time before the 11th century were no significant voice monuments have been preserved. Unlike in the Finnish literature with the reconstructed national epic Kalevala and the Estonian with Kalevipoeg there is only the word fragments in Hungarian.

Christianity, and especially the Benedictines, conveyed the literature in Hungary, the literary language was Latin. The oldest completely preserved sacred text in Hungarian language is the " grave issue " and an attached prayer for 1200.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, dominated the Latin historiography. Here may be mentioned especially the " Gesta Hungarorum " from the 13th century. The author called himself " Anonymous". Who he really was, is still controversial. There was another series of such works, in one of them, the myth was born that had Hungary related to the Huns and their successors.

After flowering, the history of Christian hymns came to the fore. The first fully preserved poem is the " Old Hungarian Lament of Mary ," she was not discovered until 1922.

The first major, but not complete Bible translation is by Tamás and Bálint and bears the name Hussite Bible. Its distribution as a whole was limited because it was a bible of the Hussites, but she wore in excerpts yet to unify the Hungarian dialects to written language in.

Renaissance

With the Renaissance king Matthias Corvinus (1458-1490) sat in Hungary a cultural revival and for the Bibliotheca Corvina created numerous Prachtkodices with Hungarian passages.

Significant latin writing Hungary were Janus Pannonius (1434-1472) and Bálint Balassi ( 1554-1594 ).

Literature of the Baroque period

The Jesuits succeeded recatholicisation several Protestant aristocrats. The most important representative of the Counter-Reformation was Péter Pázmány ( 1570-1637 ). His major work, the " Guide to the divine truth" ( 1613 ), an important step in the development of a Hungarian language philosophy was; Prayer Book 1606. Káldi György ( 1572-1634 ) translated the Bible ( 1626 ) based on the Latin Vulgate. The Hungarian Baroque literature was not courtly, but primarily anti- Turkish. Miklós Zrínyi (1620-1664) wrote poetry, socio-political and military treatises, but his principal work is " Sziget Not" ( Szigeti veszedelem, 1645 /46), the first epic ever in Hungarian. It is about 100 years earlier storm of the Turks to the castle Sziget and the subsequent massacre of the defenders who are glorified by Zrínyi. János Apáczai Csere (1625-1659) wrote a "Hungarian Encyclopedia " ( 1655), which was important for the language of science.

Enlightenment and Romanticism

Unusually large number of writers were bodyguards of the " Empress" Maria Theresia in Vienna. There were young nobles, who were fascinated by the Viennese intellectual life and literary attempts took. In addition to Sándor Báróczi (1735-1809) and Ábrahám Barcsay (1742-1806), it was mainly György Bessenyei (approx. 1747-1811 ). Through his writings, criticized the Hungarian literature and in which world literature for an imitation pattern occurred, were influential, although he himself was not a great writer.

1794 appeared the Pest magazine " Uránia ", published exclusively Hungarian literature and no translations. With her ​​plague was the literary center of Hungary. The Court of Vienna did not sit idly and built a wide network of censors. Mihály Csokonai Vitez (1773-1805) was a great poet who used rare lyrical forms in Hungary or even introduced, such as the first iambic poem (? ) And the sonnet (not first ). Csokonai is attributed to a spiritual relationship with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to which he translated the libretto of The Magic Flute. He wrote the first Hungarian ironic epic " Dorothy " ( Dorottya, 1795), in which he caricatured the aristocratic way of life. Mihály Fazekas (1766-1828) was known for only one work, namely his " geese Mathes " ( Ludas Matyi, 1804), which became very popular and was translated into many languages. The Tale of the evil nobleman and good farm boy became a symbol of Hungarian literature. To Kazinczy Ferenc (1754-1831) was formed a literary circle, of which stood outside Dániel Berzsenyi (1776-1836), also called " hermit of Nikla " called.

Reform period

Thus, the time 1825-1848 is called. She was a golden age of Hungarian literature with big names such as Mihály Vörösmarty (1800-1855), János Arany (1817-1882) and Sándor Petőfi ( 1823-1849 ).

Vörösmarty is known as a freedom fighter and poet. His most important works include the epic " Zalans flight" on the Hungarian conquest (begun in 1823), " Csongor and Tunde " (1831 ), reminiscent of Mozart's Magic Flute, and the poem " encouragement " ( Szózat, 1838), which during the Revolution was sung as " Hungarian Marseillaise ". The national anthem of Hungary ( Himnusz ) wrote Ferenc Kolcsey in 1823.

Jókai Mór (1825-1904) took part in the revolution of 1848/ 49 and was later active in politics. As a writer, he left behind a huge narrative work. His published during his lifetime "Collected Works " include 100 volumes. Among the many most romantic and idealistic novels, short stories and novels part of " A Hungarian Nabob " ( Egy magyar nabob 1854).

20th century

Gyula Krúdy (1878-1933) was an important prose writer of modern Hungarian literature at the time of the fin de siècle. An essence of his literary style is the fine game with the means of expression of irony and melancholy, nostalgia and realism.

Margit Kaffka (1880-1918) wrote about women's lives. Influenced by Baudelaire was the poet Endre Ady (1877-1919), who was several times in Paris. His major work, the " New Poems " of 1906. Géza Csáth is considered one of the most important representatives of modern literature in Hungary in the 20th century. His literary aesthetics that broke with the taboos of her time and treated radically psychological abyss, has inspired numerous Hungarian writer. Attila József (1905-1937) is considered next Ady as the greatest poet of the 20th century. Mihály Babits (1883-1941) translated Dante's Divine Comedy. He wrote novels, poetry and essays. With his pacifism, he was not always welcome in the traditionally very patriotic Hungary. Dezso Kosztolányi (1885-1936) was at home in all genres and translated contemporary world literature in "Modern Poets" (1913). Árpád Tóth was also an important poet and translator. Zsigmond Móricz (1879-1942) wrote realistic and socially critical novels.

Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952) is the most important Hungarian playwright, best known is his play " Liliom " (1909). In 1937 he was exiled to the United States. Sandor Marai (1900-1989) lived a long time in part ( voluntarily ) abroad, partly in exile. Also a famous prose writer was Albert Wass (1908-1998), who lived in Germany and the USA after 1945.

Imre Kertész ( born 1929 ), a survivor of Auschwitz -Birkenau, processed this experience in " man without destiny " ( Sorstalanság, 1975). He received the 2002 Nobel Prize for Literature, the eulogy, " a literary work that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history". Like many other writers of this time Kertész has close contacts with the German culture and is a translator from German into Hungarian. Other authors are Ferenc Juhász and György Konrad, poet, for example László Nagy, Sándor and János Weöres Pilinszky.

As the best known, born after the war, Author ( b. 1950 ) is considered Péter Esterházy with his " Celestial Harmonies " and the " Enhanced Edition " of the same.