Subject
Hungarian essays -- 20th century Books
Best books
Sándor Tonelli
Emberi miniatürök
"Emberi miniatürök" by Sándor Tonelli is a literary work that appears to be an exploration of the life and impact of Dante Alighieri, likely written in the early 20th century. The text seems to delve into Dante's legacy, his poetic contributions, and the socio-political climate of medieval Italy from which he emerged, positioning him as a pivotal figure in literature and thought. The beginning of the text introduces Dante's demise in Ravenna and highlights key facets of his life, including his exile from Florence and his literary output, notably "The Divine Comedy." It hints at the profound influence that the historical context of the Middle Ages had on Dante’s works, particularly how the tumult in Italian city-states and the battle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines shaped his perspectives. The text entwines biographical elements with literary analysis, setting up a deeper discussion on the dual nature of Dante as both a personal and a universal figure in human expression.
Ferenc Molnár
Ismerősök (feljegyzések, krónikák)
"Ismerősök (feljegyzések, krónikák)" by Ferenc Molnár is a collection of reflections and chronicles written in the early 20th century. The text presents a series of anecdotes, criticisms, and social observations that explore the nuances of Hungarian life during the years leading up to World War I. Through a lens that intertwines personal narratives with broader societal commentary, Molnár sheds light on the quirks and intricacies of his contemporaries, including memorable characters like the compassionate Urs Nándor and the amusing Salamon Ödön. At the start of the work, the author introduces readers to a series of diary-like entries filled with vignettes of daily life in Budapest. The opening sections feature anecdotes about figures from the city, such as Urs Nándor, a police commissioner known for his surprising kindness towards wayward children. These reflections blend humor with a poignant awareness of societal issues, giving voice to the complex social dynamics at play in pre-war Hungary. Each anecdote serves as a window into the life and character of the city, painting a vivid picture of its people and their stories, while also hinting at the darker undercurrents of the time.
Ernő Szép
Sok minden
"Sok minden" by Ernő Szép is a collection of reflective essays written in the early 20th century. The work captures a variety of observations and musings on contemporary life, human relationships, and social interactions, often tinged with irony and introspection. Through a series of narratives and personal anecdotes, the author explores themes of love, loneliness, and the quest for meaning amid the trivialities of existence. The opening of the text introduces the author's tone and style, inviting readers into a contemplative space. The narrator reflects on the nature of existence, first presenting a private individual who grapples with feelings of alienation and the authenticity of his emotions. This character engages in self-exploration, questioning societal norms and his desires, concluding with a determination to express love and kindness to others. The narrative sets the stage for a deeper exploration of personal identity and human connection, weaving together a tapestry of thoughts that resonate with the complexities of life.
Ernő Szép
Kenyér
"Kenyér" by Ernő Szép is a reflective and contemplative novel likely written during the early 20th century. The text delves into themes of human existence, suffering, and the stark realities of life during wartime. Through intimate observations and philosophical musings, it grapples with the human condition and the meaning of happiness amidst chaos and sorrow. At the start of the novel, the author engages the reader with a direct address, encouraging them to examine the themes of life, death, and the fleeting nature of happiness. He reflects on the surreal experiences of existence, introducing a white dog and a sparrow in a playful yet insightful scene that symbolizes the contrast between innocent joy and existential angst. The narrative evolves to evoke the broader context of suffering, particularly through a vignette depicting a blind beggar singing for the kindness of strangers. Through its opening, the text sets the stage for deeper explorations of human emotions and social commentary against a backdrop of war, emphasizing the impermanence of joy and the pervasive nature of pain.
Dávid Angyal
Tanulmányok
Tanulmányok by Dávid Angyal is a collection of scholarly essays written in the early 20th century. It likely brings together literary criticism and historical-political studies, pairing close readings of classic texts with arguments about Hungarian constitutional and military questions. The focus ranges from Shakespeare’s non-dramatic poetry and its Hungarian reception to debates around Deák Ferenc and the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. The opening of the volume first examines Shakespeare’s “minor” poems—Venus and Adonis, Lucrece, and especially the Sonnets—through the lens of Hungarian translations by Lőrinczi, Szász, and Győry, praising strengths, pinpointing mistranslations (notably in sonnet closing lines), and weighing the perennial biographical theories with a measured, anti-dogmatic stance. It argues that while convention shaped parts of the Sonnets, genuine feeling shines through, and it contrasts the narrative poems’ vivid sensuality with their structural limits, highlighting recurring moral sympathy for the defenseless. The next essay shifts to Deák Ferenc’s centenary and the “military question,” rebutting claims that Deák lacked international vision, defending the Compromise as aligning Hungarian and broader strategic needs, and explaining Deák’s rejection of a fully separate army. To support this, it surveys Hungarian military-legal history from the 16th to the 19th century to show that a wholly independent army has little precedent, while national elements (language, officers, honvéd) can coexist with shared command under the Pragmatic Sanction.
Ferenc Herczeg
Tanulmányok I.
"Tanulmányok I." by Ferenc Herczeg is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The volume gathers reflective studies and portraits, chiefly of Hungarian political leaders and the national character. Its opening centers on Count István Tisza, examining his career, convictions, and the fierce loyalties and hatreds he inspired. Overall it reads as sharp historical and moral profiles that use individual lives to probe Hungary’s fate. The opening of the collection presents a long portrait of Count István Tisza within an “Arcképek – Vezérek” section. The author sketches Tisza’s Calvinist gentry roots at Geszt, his puritan discipline and horse‑centered country life, and contrasts his uncompromising, leaderly nature with his father Tisza Kálmán’s flexible political craft. He then follows the public career: rise from 1886 MP to the 1903 premiership, the struggle to end parliamentary obstruction, the 1904 house‑rules clash and 1905 defeat, a return to power, the 1912 crackdown as House Speaker amid violence and a failed assassination, and leadership through the Balkan crisis. Using diplomatic documents, the author emphasizes that Tisza initially opposed a war on Serbia and accepted conflict only conditionally, out of duty rather than bellicosity. The narrative proceeds to his 1917 exit, brief front‑line command, his October 1918 admission that the war was lost, and his murder during the Aster Revolution, followed by a posthumous hero cult. A companion piece, “Tisza István az ember,” shifts to character: his fierce sense of “magyarság,” love of horses and folk music, austerity, vigor, loyalty and kindness, and an unsentimental, commanding masculinity the author sees as mirroring Hungary’s best traits.
Ferenc Herczeg
Tanulmányok II.
"Tanulmányok II." by Ferenc Herczeg is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The volume gathers sharp political and cultural commentaries that scrutinize postwar Hungary and prominent contemporary figures, blending nationalist critique with broader reflections on Europe’s moral drift. Readers should expect forceful polemics about the 1918–1919 upheavals, portraits of politicians and thinkers, and comparative meditations on violence, justice, and civilization. The opening of the volume launches with a blistering attack on Károlyi Mihály’s memoirs, portraying them as self-justifying propaganda and blaming Károlyi and Jászi Oszkár for ideological blindness, the disarmament of Hungary, and the ensuing national calamities. It argues that their anti‑national radicalism and misplaced faith in the Entente undermined the country while scorning traditional institutions. The next essays turn to Gandhi via Romain Rolland’s portrait, praising Gandhi’s moral authority, non‑violence, and non‑cooperation, contrasting them with Europe’s militaristic hypocrisy and the British repression in India. Herczeg then applies this critique to Europe’s spiritual decay, debating violence versus non‑violence and concluding that while non‑violence is nobler and tactically potent, nations may still be driven to force in self‑defense. The section closes by beginning a reading of H. G. Wells’s William Clissold, using its disenchanted narrator to indict the failure of postwar “reconstruction” and the hollowness of institutions like monarchy, parliament, and army in a civilization that has not learned to organize a humane life.
Ernő Szép
Bűneim
"Bűneim" by Ernő Szép is a reflective, essay-style collection of personal confessions written in the early 20th century. The book explores themes of guilt, self-examination, and the pervasive sense of moral and existential responsibility. It presents an introspective narrator—most likely the author himself—who scrutinizes his own faults and inadequacies against the backdrop of a turbulent, war-touched society. Through a series of poetic, often painfully honest meditations, the work examines the constant struggle to make sense of oneself and the world. The opening of "Bűneim" unfolds as a sequence of impressionistic vignettes centered on the narrator’s inner life. The text begins with a reluctance to speak about war, revealing a desire for invisibility and detachment from society’s judgment. As the narrative proceeds, the author confesses to feeling complicit in society’s wrongs—whether it be through handling money, failing to intervene in injustice, or simply existing in privilege. The tone is confessional and self-critical, moving rapidly from thoughts on shame, guilt, and empathy, to broader existential concerns. The narrator’s ruminations span topics like the inability to communicate true feelings, the corrosiveness of pride and ego, the futility of seeking purity, and the inescapable interconnectedness of all living things—underscored by a persistent questioning of his own identity and capacity for goodness.
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