![Molnár Ferenc haditudósítóként](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Moln%C3%A1r_Ferenc_haditud%C3%B3s%C3%ADt%C3%B3k%C3%A9nt.jpg)
Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often
anglicized
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playwright. His primary aim through his writing was to entertain by transforming his personal experiences into literary works of art. He was never connected to any one literary movement but he did utilize the precepts of
naturalism,
Neo-Romanticism,
Expressionism
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
, and the Freudian psychoanalytical concepts, but only as long as they suited his desires. “By fusing the realistic narrative and stage tradition of Hungary with Western influences into a cosmopolitan amalgam, Molnár emerged as a versatile artist whose style was uniquely his own.”
As a novelist, Molnár may best be remembered for ''
The Paul Street Boys
''The Paul Street Boys'' ( hu, A Pál utcai fiúk) is a youth novel by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnár, first published in 1906.
Plot outline
The novel is about schoolboys in Józsefváros neighbourhood of Budapest and set in 1889. The Pau ...
'', the story of two rival gangs of youths in Budapest. It has been translated into fourteen languages and adapted for the stage and film. It has been considered a masterpiece by many. It was, however, as a playwright that he made his greatest contribution and how he is best known internationally. "In his graceful, whimsical, sophisticated drawing-room comedies, he provided a felicitous synthesis of
naturalism and fantasy,
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
and
romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
, cynicism and sentimentality, the profane and the sublime."
Out of his many plays, ''
The Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...
'', ''
Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
'', ''The Swan'', ''The Guardsman'' and ''
The Play's the Thing'' endure as classics. He was influenced by the likes of
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
,
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
, and
Gerhart Hauptmann
Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He recei ...
.
He immigrated to the United States to escape persecution of Hungarian Jews during World War II and later adopted American citizenship. Molnár’s plays continue to be relevant and are performed all over the world. His national and international fame has inspired many Hungarian playwrights including Elemér Boross,
László Fodor,
Lajos Bíró
Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s.
Life
He was born in Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hunga ...
, ,
Ernő Vajda, Attila Orbók, and Imre Földes, among others.
Life
Early years
Ferenc Molnár was born in Budapest on January 12, 1878 to Dr. Mór Neumann, a prosperous and popular gastroenterologist, and Jozefa Wallfisch, both of
German-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
heritage. The home in which he lived was opulent but gloomy. Even though he was born into wealth, "It was not a friendly atmosphere for the lively and precocious Ferenc, who constantly had to be warned to keep quiet."
Just a year before his birth, his parents' first born son and Molnár's brother, László, died. His mother was frail and frequently bedridden. Illness spread throughout the rooms of his house, and young Ferenc constantly was being told to keep quiet.
In 1887, Molnár entered the Református Gimnázium, a secondary school (high school) located in Miskolc, Hungary, where he was inspired to learn foreign languages and where his talent as a writer began to take shape. At the age of 14, he started a periodical titled ''Haladás'' (Progress) which sold only four copies and a secondary publication titled ''É letképek'' (Panorama) selling only 20 copies. His first dramatic work was ''Kék barlang'' (Blue Cave), a controversial play written, directed, and staged in the basement of a friend's house.
Upon completing secondary school, Molnár studied law at the University of Budapest in 1895, and shortly thereafter, he was sent to Geneva by his father to continue his studies at the Swiss University. While living in Geneva, he began writing frequently, often sending his work to various papers. Molnár also wrote the short novella ''Magdolna'' during this time. He also traveled to Paris to see some of the popular new plays. "The fashionable
boulevard
A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway.
Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls.
In American usage, boulevards may ...
comedies of
Bernstein
Bernstein is a common surname in the German language, meaning "amber" (literally "burn stone"). The name is used by both Germans and Jews, although it is most common among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The German pronunciation is , but in E ...
,
Bataille,
Capus, and others left a deep impression on him and later greatly influenced his dramatic style."
In 1896, he abandoned a legal career to pursue a full-time career as a journalist. He covered a variety of topics during his time as a journalist, but his primary focus was the court trials for ''Vészi's Budapesti Napló (''Budapest Daily), a newspaper then edited and published by
József Vészi, a Jewish intellectual who dominated Hungarian political journalism. Molnár's first wife was one of Vészi's daughters (Margit Vészi).
His mother died in 1898 when Ferenc was 20 years of age. Molnár served as a proud and jingoistic supporter of the Austro-Hungarian Empire while working as a war correspondent during World War I.
["Two Ways of Being a Jewish Writer: Ferenc Molnár and Arthur Schnitzler"](_blank)
Ivan Sanders, European Cultural Review So positive were his war reports that he was decorated by the Habsburg emperor, but criticized by some of his pacifist peers.
He would later write ''Reflections of a War Correspondent'', describing his experiences.
Literary and theatrical career
In 1901, Molnár published his first full-length novel ''Az éhes város'' (The Hungry City). This novel made Molnár's name familiar throughout Hungary. It was "a relentless exposé of the evil effect of money, viewed by a young, idealistic newspaperman."
The year following the release of ''Az éhes város,'' Molnár began writing for the theatre. It was in this medium that he became known internationally. His early works as a playwright were influenced by his journalistic work. Molnár's first play, ''A doctor úr'' (The Doctor), and the play that followed, ''Józsi'', are both comedies that were essentially a dramatization of newspaper sketches about a spoiled rich child and published as a collection of short dialogues.
His personal life inspired a lot of his writing. After his separation from his first wife (Margit Vészi), he became involved with the famous Hungarian actress Irén Szécsi, who was married to a wealthy manufacturer at the time. Some of his more critically successful works were influenced by this affair.
In 1907, Molnár wrote ''Az ördög'' (The Devil) for Irén, in which he challenged her to leave her husband. It brought Molnár international fame and was performed all over Europe and In New York. ''
The Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...
'' later was adapted into a film by the Hungarian-born American director
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
and three years later into an English language version directed by
James Young. Also in 1907, Molnár wrote three books including his juvenile novel
''A Pál-utcai Fiúk'' (The Paul Street Boys). "His fame reached its height with the successful performances of ''
Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
'' abroad, though the play initially had been a failure in Budapest."
It became his best-known play, adapted into a film by
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
with
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...
in the title role (Paris, 1934); and into a 1945 Broadway stage musical, ''
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
'', by
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...
and
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...
(with a film version released in 1956). Molnár sought to regain favor with his wife Lili by portraying her in the role of Juli, and then through his plays ''The Guardsman'' and ''The Wolf'', proceeded to explain the complexities of his affair with Irén.
''The Guardsman'' was published in 1910 and served as the basis of the 1931 film of the same name, starring American power couple
Alfred Lunt
Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway and West End thea ...
and
Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne (; 6 December 1887 – 30 July 1983) was an English actress. After early success in supporting roles in the West End, she met the American actor Alfred Lunt, whom she married in 1922 and with whom she co-starred in Broadway and We ...
.
Molnár fell into a deep depression after Irén cut off the affair and returned to her family. He resorted to drinking heavily as a result, and in 1911 attempted suicide. He was rehabilitated in Austria and during this dark time continued writing. Between 1910 and 1914, five volumes of his collected essays were published as well as his translations of over 30 French plays. "Molnár's long and turbulent life was one of hard and incessant work. For over 50 years, he transposed his inner conflict in his literary work; writing was his oxygen, elixir, and self-therapy."
Later years and death
On January 12, 1940, Molnár relocated to America and spent the final 12 years of his life living in Room 835 at
New York's
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...
. In 1943, he suffered a massive
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
which forced him to suspend work for almost a year. To celebrate the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Molnár wrote and published ''Isten veled szivem'' (God Be With You My Heart) and the English Edition of ''The Captain of St Margaret's.''
After the war Molnár became outraged and depressed after learning the fate of his Jewish friends and colleagues during the
Holocaust in Hungary
The Holocaust in Hungary was the dispossession, deportation, and systematic murder of more than half of the Hungarian Jews, primarily after the German occupation of Hungary in March 1944.
At the time of the German invasion, Hungary had a Jewis ...
, and his personality changed. He became apathetic, morose, and misanthropic.
In 1947, Molnár's secretary and devoted companion Wanda Bartha committed
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
. This event had a lasting effect on Molnár. Upon her death, he wrote ''Companion in Exile'', his most tragic work, recalling his friend's sacrifices and the times they had spent together. Molnár donated all his manuscripts and bound scrapbooks containing articles about him, and prepared by Wanda Bartha, to the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
.
Molnár died of cancer, aged 74, at the
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on April 1, 1952. Because of his superstitious fear that creating a will would hasten his death, Molnár left several manuscripts and unfinished work and a significant amount of money behind. His funeral was attended by only his wife, Lili Darvas, and a few close friends. In the name of all women Molnár had loved,
Lili Darvas bid him farewell with a quotation: "Liliom, sleep my boy, sleep!"
Selected works
Plays
![Molnár Ferenc Uher](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Moln%C3%A1r_Ferenc_Uher.jpg)
* ''The Lawyer'' (1902)
* ''Jozsi'' (1904)
* ''
The Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...
'' (1907)
* ''
Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
(1909)''
* ''
The Guardsman
''The Guardsman'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film based on the play '' Testőr'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young and ZaSu Pitts. It opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of Maxwell Anderson's ' ...
'' (1910)
* ''The Tale of the Wolf'' (1912)
* ''The White Cloud'' (1916)
* ''Carnival'' (1916)
* ''Fashions for Men'' (1917)
* ''The Swan'' (1920)
* ''
The Play's the Thing'' (1926)
* ''Olympia'' (1928)
* ''One two three'' (1929)
* ''
The Good Fairy'' (1930)
* ''Delicate Story'' (1940)
* ''The King's Maid'' (1941)
Books
![Molnár Ferenc plaque (Budapest-09 Lónyay u 4)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Moln%C3%A1r_Ferenc_plaque_%28Budapest-09_L%C3%B3nyay_u_4%29.jpg)
* ''The Hungry City'' (1901)
* ''
The Paul Street Boys
''The Paul Street Boys'' ( hu, A Pál utcai fiúk) is a youth novel by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnár, first published in 1906.
Plot outline
The novel is about schoolboys in Józsefváros neighbourhood of Budapest and set in 1889. The Pau ...
'' (1906)
* ''The Memoirs of a War Correspondent'' (1916)
* ''The Captain of St. Margaret's'' (1926)
* ''Farewell My Heart'' (1945)
* ''Companion in Exile: Notes for an Autobiography'' (1950)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Ferenc Molnár papers (1927–1952) held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
Portraits held at the Billy Rose Theatre Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molnar, Ferenc
1878 births
1952 deaths
20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights
Jewish American writers
Hungarian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Hungarian male writers
20th-century Hungarian novelists
Hungarian Jews
Austro-Hungarian Jews
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
Writers from Budapest
Hungarian children's writers
Hungarian emigrants to the United States
Jewish dramatists and playwrights
Hungarian male novelists
Theatre people from Budapest