OSA / Guide / RIP / 1956 / RFE/RL Background Reports : Subjects | Browse | Search

The text below might contain errors as it was reproduced by OCR software from the digitized originals,
also available as Scanned original in PDF.

BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 33-2-46
TITLE:             Changing Trends in Hungarian Literary Policy
BY:                jt
DATE:              1965-9-15
COUNTRY:           Hungary
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  Hungarian Unit
THEMATIC SUBJECTS: Hungary--1956-1965, Hungary--Literature, International Relations

--- Begin ---

Curt -- Changing Trends in Hungarian Literary Policy F-91

Munich, l6 September 1965 (East Europe Research and
Analysis - Hungarian Unit.) -- In contrast to recent moves in the
literary field in Poland , the Hungarians are openly calling for
closer contacts between writers at home and abroad, stressing
the need to deal with énigré writers on a strictly individual
basic, and calling; for widespread publication and distribution
of the works of these énigré writers in Hungary if Hungary is, to
expect then, the émigrés, to display an equal amount of interest
in what is being published in Hungary today.

An article on this subject has appeared in the latest
issue of the Hungarian literary weekly, Elet es Irodalom. It is
written by Geza Hegedus, one of the representatives of the
Hungarian PEN Club at the recent International PEN Club Congress
held in Bled, Yugoslavia. Hegedus is a well-known, middle-aged
writer who is the holder of several Hungarian regime literary
awards. He points out that while there were only "six of us
from Hungary at Bled, 15 other Hungarian writers from various
parts of the world lent additional weight to the representation
of Hungarian, literature," and goes on to stress the unfortunate
fact that all too many of then, along with many others, are unknown
to readers in Hungary. "Even if we judge them pessimistically,
saying that nine out of 10 books (published in Hungarian abroad)
are poor, insignificant, hostile or base, only a little optimism
is needed to permit us to state that there might be one out of
every 10 in which we are interested. And we cannot renounce even
that small number. (Is every one of the literary products
written at home a masterpiece?")

Hegedus then points out that "We must begin with the
statement that, in the West, too, there is a leftist Hungarian
literature, which reflects an ideology ranging from a leftist
bourgeois to a definitely Communist one. Neither can we leave
out of consideration those writers who, although they
philosophically deviate from us, agree on the policy of peaceful
coexistence. There are émigré poets and writers with whom I could
never agree, if it is a question concerning some public matter,
but to whom I cannot deny their artistic importance and humanitarian
attitude." Putting these objectives into practice, Hegedus then
lists a number of writers living outside Hungary whose works he
would like to see published at home, including Lajos Zilahy and

(pto)

Curt (1) -- Changing Trends F-92

Sandor Marai (an RFE contributor), who are US reside, Cs.
Szabo of the BBC, and three writers who are RFE staffers: Zoltan
Szabo, Janos Csokits and Gabor Bikich (althouth they are not
identified as such). Among other émigré writers whom he singles
out for the excellence of their work are Pal Tabori, a long-time
resident of England, Laszlo Gara, a 1956 refugee, and translator
into French of Hungarian works, and Gyorgy Szechenyi, a Hungarian
aristocrat who, in Horthy times, was a district administrator.

Hegedus concludes his article by stressing that "We
have to commence with this work. Sooner or later, we must assess
the Hungarian literature of all the continents. We have to find
contacts with the Hungarian literature of every continent. If
we expect them, the remote ones, to know and acknowledge us, the
surely they, too, can expect us to publish their most
outstanding works."

A translation of the full text of this article is
available in Hungarian Press Survey, No. 1640 of today.

jt/1730/65

  OSA / Guide / RIP / 1956 / RFE/RL Background Reports : Subjects | Browse | Search