Iván Boldizsár (born as ''Iván Bettelheim'', later ''Iván Bethlen'', from 1934 ''Iván Boldizsár''; 1912–1988) was a Hungarian journalist, writer and editor of several Hungarian publications, periodicals and newspapers.
Biography
Before the Second World War
In his young age, he took part in the work of the third generation of the periodical
Nyugat
''Nyugat'' ( Hungarian for ''West''; pronounced similar to ''New-Got''), was an important Hungarian literary journal in the first half of the 20th century. Writers and poets from that era are referred to as "1st/2nd/3rd generation of the NYUGAT" ...
. He wrote poems under the pen name Iván Bethlen, but as his interests in sociological questions grew, he started to distance himself of the aesthetic literature theories of that generation.
He studied liberal arts and medical sciences on the Pázmány Péter University. He started to work as a sociologist in villages, and soon as a journalist, for the "Új Nemzedék" (New Generation) and "Nemzeti Újság" (National Newspaper).
In 1934 he changed the name Bethlen to Boldizsár, in order to publicly show his antipathy towards
István Bethlen
Count István Bethlen de Bethlen (8 October 1874, Gernyeszeg – 5 October 1946, Moscow) was a Hungarian aristocrat and statesman and served as prime minister from 1921 to 1931.
Early life
The scion of an old Bethlen de Bethlen noble fam ...
. Between 1936 and 1938 he edited the "Serve and Write Workgroup" books, from 1938 he was an editor at
Pester Lloyd
''Pester Lloyd'' is a German-language online daily newspaper from Budapest, Hungary with a focus "on Hungary and Eastern Europe".
History during the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Its first stint of existence was from 1854 to ...
.
Second World War, Don River Bent, Desertion
In 1940, before the
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...
he received a brief military training, and took part in the entry of the Hungarian troops to North Transylvania as a corporal.
In 1942 he served with the 2nd Hungarian Army at the Don. He did not take part in actual fighting, as he served as a sergeant of a logistics unit, 8 km behind the lines. Because of this, his unit casualties were much lower during the retreat from the Don (2 soldiers out of a group of 10) than other units' casualties. During the retreat he saved 27 wounded Hungarian soldiers from a burning field hospital with his comrades. After they reached the assembly zones, he was evacuated to a hospital in Hungary as he got
Typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.
...
during the retreat.
He deserted from the hospital and lived illegally in Budapest, with the help of his connections to the political Left, and awaited the arrival of the Soviets.
He took part in the organizing of the Liberation Committee for the Hungarian National Uprising (Magyar Nemzeti Felkelés Felszabadító Bizottsága). On 22 November 1944, he was arrested by the pro-Nazi Hungarian secret police on a meeting of that committee, along with Lt. Gen János Kiss, (military leader of the resistance) and Vilmos Tartsay. The political leader of the committee,
Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky
Endre Kálmán Bajcsy-Zsilinszky (Szarvas, June 6, 1886 – Sopronkőhida, December 24, 1944), was an influential Hungarian national radical politician and an important voice in the struggle against German expansion and military policy. Execut ...
and his wife were arrested a day later.
After 1945
After 1945, the political life of Hungary was dominated by the
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in th ...
. The
Hungarian Communist Party
The Hungarian Communist Party ( hu, Magyar Kommunista Párt, abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary ( hu, Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja, abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar ...
first made a coalition with all other parties in the National Assembly, but eventually the Communist Party's leader,
Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892 – 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian implemented a strategy of pressing the non-Communist parties to gradually push out their anti-Soviet elements as "fascists", a strategy he later called salami tactics. Within three years, every party had either vanished or been rendered impotent.
Iván Boldizsár successfully made his way to the new, pro-Soviet, "leftist" elite, thanks to his pre-war work and connections. He became a member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
in 1945, as a delegate of the left-wing, agrarian National Peasant Party and he cooperated well with the Communist Party. He was the member of the Hungarian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference and allegedly he was an informant for the Soviets.
In the next years, he supported Mátyás Rákosi's personal cult as the editor of the
Magyar Nemzet
''Magyar Nemzet'' ('' en, Hungarian Nation'') is a major Hungarian newspaper published in Hungary, and in 2021 styled itself as "close to the current Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán."
History and profile
''Magyar Nemzet'', a moderate ...
. After the death of
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
he first sided with
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
, but soon he became the supporter of Rákosi again.
After 1945 he was the editor of many Hungarian newspapers and periodicals, like
Szabad Szó
''Szabad szó'' ('Free Word') was a Hungarian newspaper that served as the central organ of the National Peasants Party
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a ...
, Új Magyarország,
Magyar Nemzet
''Magyar Nemzet'' ('' en, Hungarian Nation'') is a major Hungarian newspaper published in Hungary, and in 2021 styled itself as "close to the current Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán."
History and profile
''Magyar Nemzet'', a moderate ...
, The New Hungarian Quarterly, Szinház, Béke és Szabadság etc.
According to his supporters he was incomparable to other editors of his era, as he was supported the important leftist publications before, and supported the important right-wing publications after the war, and his periodical, The New Hungarian Quarterly meant a lot to the English-speaking Hungarians, as until the 1970s that was the only journal available in English.
Selected books
* The country of the rich farmers (A gazdag parasztok országa. Budapest : Franklin, 1940.)
* Fortocska: Diary notes from Russia (Fortocska : naplójegyzetek. Budapest : Cserépfalvi, 1948.)
* Winter Duel: a short novel (Téli párbaj : kisregény. Budapest : Athenaeum, 1949.)
* Hungarian Diary (Magyarországi napló. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1951.)
* Plot against the Hungarian People (Összeesküvés a magyar nép ellen. Budapest : Szikra, 1952.)
* Armed with pen (A toll fegyverével : cikkek, Budapest : Művelt Nép, 1952.)
* Oradour accusing: political writing (Oradour vádol : politikai publicisztika. Budapest : Országos Béketanács, 1953.)
* From morning 'til morning: novel(Reggeltől reggelig : regény. Ill. Bozóky Mária. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1955.)
* Balaton Adventure (Balatoni kaland : elbeszélések. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1956.)
* Birthday (Születésnap : regény. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1959.)
* Relatives and aliens: French diary (Rokonok és idegenek : franciaországi napló. Budapest : Gondolat, 1963.)
* Hongrie. Budapest : Corvina, 1964.
* The philosopher lion: essays (A filozófus oroszlán : esszék. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1971.)
* New York by minute: Travel notes (New York percről percre : útinapló. Budapest :
Magvető
Magvető is a Hungarian book publishing company based in Budapest. It primarily publishes domestic and international works of literary fiction.
History
Magvető was established in 1955 as a publisher of the Magyar Írók Szövetsége (now the ...
, 1971.)
* The school of fear: short stories (A félelem iskolája : elbeszélések. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó. 1977.)
* Living forever: short stories (Örökké élni : elbeszélések. Budapest : Magvető - Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1979.)
* Don-Buda-Paris: memoirs (Don-Buda-Párizs : visszaemlékezések. Budapest : Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1982.(Ser. Tények és tanúk, 0324-797X))
* The day of the crown: articles(A korona napja : cikkek, vázlatok. Budapest : Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1983.)
* Bitter-sweet: stories, memoirs (Keser-édes : elbeszélések, visszaemlékezések. Budapest : Magvető, 1987.)
Screenplays
* At midnight (Éjfélkor) (1957)
* What a night (Micsoda éjszaka) (1958)
* The Golden Head (Az aranyfej) (1963)
* Yes (Igen) (1964)
Membership
* President of the Hungarian PEN Club
* Deputy President of the National Peace Council (Országos Béketanács)
* Member of the
PEN International
PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...
Honors
* Hungarian Liberty Award, 2nd class (A Magyar Szabadságrend ezüst fokozata) (1947)
* Work Award (Munka Érdemrend) (1955,1969,1972,1979)
* Attila József Award (József Attila-díj) (1970)
* State Award of the People's Republic of Hungary (A Magyar Népköztársaság Állami Díja II. fokozat) (1975)
* Order of the Banner of the People's Republic of Hungary (A Magyar Népköztársaság Zászlórendje) (1982)
References
Literature
* N. Pataki Mária: A Kossuth Nyomda története. Lektorálta Timkó György. Budapest, Kossuth, 1984. Boldizsár Iván lásd 178-180. p.
* A MAGYAR IRODALOM TÖRTÉNETE 1945-1975 III./1-2 Szerk: BÉLÁDI MIKLÓS, BODNÁR GYÖRGY, SŐTÉR ISTVÁN, SZABOLCSI MIKLÓS, AKADÉMIAI KIADÓ, BUDAPEST 199 Link >>
Further information
* This page is based on the Hungarian Wikipedia's article Boldizsár Iván MÉL