Károly Pap (24 September 1897 – 1945) was a Hungarian writer.

Biography

He was the third child of , who was the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

of the

Neolog Neologs ( hu, neológ irányzat, "Neolog faction") are one of the two large communal organizations among Hungarian Jews, Hungarian Jewry. Socially, the liberal and modernist Neologs had been more inclined toward integration into Hungarian society ...

community in Sopron. His mother was from a wealthy family. He volunteered to fight in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and served as an officer on the Italian Front. After the war, he fought on behalf of the

Hungarian Soviet Republic The Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság) (due to an early mistranslation, it became widely known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic in English-language sources ( ...

. Following the Republic's demise, this resulted in his being jailed from 1920 to 1921. In 1922, he moved to

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where he worked for a coffin maker and spent time with a touring theater company. His first novel was published in 1923. Three years later, after returning to Hungary, he made the acquaintance of and the founding editor of ''

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" ...

'',

Ernő Osvát Ernő Osvát (7 April 1877 – 28 October 1929) was a Hungarian writer and editor. His first article was published 1897 in the a Hungarian newspaper called ''Esti Újság''. He became the editor of the ''Magyar Géniusz'' in 1902, transforming i ...

, who encouraged him to continue writing and promoted his works. He established many friendships with significant writers, who in turn appreciated and supported his work. He made little or no money from his books, however, and was largely supported by his wife, Hedvig. In 1936, he was awarded the

Baumgarten Prize The Baumgarten Prize was founded by Ferenc Ferdinánd Baumgarten on October 17, 1923. It was awarded every year from 1929 to 1949 (except for 1945). In its time, it was the most prestigious literary prize awarded by Hungary and is considered as equi ...

, but was prevented from receiving it. During the war, in 1943, he was conscripted into the Labor Service, as

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

were not allowed to serve in the armed forces. The following year, he was transported to Buchenwald. He was last known to be alive in January 1945, but had disappeared by the time Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen were liberated by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He wrote several novels during the 1930s and an essay on the "

Jewish Question The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other "national ...

". His best known novel, the semi-autobiographical ''Azarel'', was published in 1937 and dealt with

Jewish assimilation Jewish assimilation ( he, התבוללות, ''hitbolelut'') refers either to the gradual cultural assimilation and social integration of Jews in their surrounding culture or to an ideological program in the age of emancipation promoting conform ...

. He remained popular in Hungary, even after being sent to the labor camps."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pap, Karoly 1897 births 1945 deaths People from Sopron Jewish Austrian writers Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Hungarian Jews who died in the Holocaust Austrian Jews who died in the Holocaust 19th-century Jews 20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Hungarian novelists 20th-century Hungarian male writers Hungarian male dramatists and playwrights Hungarian male novelists Hungarian World War II forced labourers Hungarian people who died in Buchenwald concentration camp