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Lajos Zilahy (27 March 1891 − 1 December 1974) was a Hungarian novelist and playwright. Born in
Nagyszalonta,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(now
Salonta
Salonta (; hu, Nagyszalonta, italic=no, colloquially , ; ger, Grosssalontha, italic=no; tr, Salanta, italic=no) is a city in Bihor County, in the geographical region of Crișana, north-western Romania, near the Hungarian border.
Population
...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
), he studied law at the University of Budapest before serving in the Austro-Hungarian army during the
First World War
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 ...
,
in which he was wounded on the Eastern Front – an experience which later informed his bestselling novel ''Two Prisoners'' (''Két fogoly'').
He was also active in film. His 1928 novel ''Something Is Drifting on the Water'' (''Valamit visz a víz'') was filmed twice. His play ''
The General'' was filmed as ''
The Virtuous Sin
''The Virtuous Sin'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier and starring Walter Huston, Kay Francis, and Kenneth MacKenna. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is ...
'' in 1930 and ''
The Rebel'' in 1931.
Edited ''Híd'' (The Bridge) 1940–1944, an art periodical. Opposed both fascism and communism. In 1939, he established a film studio named Pegazus, which operated until the end of 1943.
Pegazus produced motion pictures and Zilahy directed some of them. In 1944, his play ''Fatornyok'' (''Wooden Towers'') was banned. Gave all assets to government treasury in early 1940s for use in educating youth in world peace, which led to the establishment of ''Kitűnőek Iskolája''.
He wrote the 1943 screenplay himself and co-directed it with Gusztáv Oláh in Hungary under the international English title ''Something Is in the Water.'' The
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
screenplay was written by Imre Gyöngyössy,
Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár (1 April 1918 – 1 June 1979) was a Hungarian-born Slovak film writer and director of Jewish heritage.
As a filmmaker, he worked in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Canada. Most of his films were directed in tandem with Elm ...
and
Elmar Klos
Elmar Klos (26 January 1910 – 19 July 1993) was a Czech film director who collaborated for 17 years with his Slovak colleague Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of award ...
, and directed by the latter two with a
Serbian,
Slovak,
Hungarian,
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
cast on location at the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
under the title ''Desire Called Anada'' in Czech (''Touha zvaná Anada,'' 1969) and Slovak (''Túžba zvaná Anada''), with ''Adrift'' as its English title.
Lajos Zilahy became the Secretary General of
Hungarian PEN but his liberal views placed him at odds, first, with the right-wing
Horthy regime and later with the post-war Communist government. Zilahy left Hungary in 1947,
spending the rest of his life in exile in the US, where he completed ''A Dukay család'', a trilogy of novels (''Century in Scarlet, The Dukays, The Angry Angel'') chronicling the history of a fictitious Hungarian aristocratic family from the Napoleonic era to the middle of the twentieth century. He died in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
, then part of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
Several of his novels have been translated into Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (mainly), Swedish, and Turkish, and some of his plays into German, Italian, and Spanish. An edition of his short stories is available in Spanish and some of his short stories have been translated into Bulgarian, Croatian, English, Estonian, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish, and some of his poems into German.
Selected novels
*''Something Is Drifting on the Water'' (Valamit visz a víz) (1928)
*''Two Prisoners'' (Két fogoly) (1931)
*''The Deserter'' (1932)
*''Az utolsó szerep'' (1935)
*''A fegyverek visszanéznek'' (1936)
*''The Dukays'' (Résmetszet alkonyat) (1949)
*''The Angry Angel'' (A dühödt angyal) (1953)
*''Century in Scarlet'' (Bíbor évszázad) (1965)
Selected plays
*''Hazajáró lélek'' (1923)
*''Süt a nap'' (1924)
*''Siberia'' (Szibéria) (1928)
*''The General'' (A tábornok) (1928)
*''Firebird'' (Tűzmadár) (1932)
Filmography
*''
Rongyosok'', directed by
Béla Gaál
Béla Gaál (2 January 1893 – 18 February 1945) was a Hungarian film director. His 1930 film '' Csak egy kislány van a világon'' was the first sound film to be made in Hungary.Cunningham p.28
In 1945 he was interned by the Nazis in Da ...
(Silent film, 1926, based on a novel by Lajos Zilahy)
*''
The Virtuous Sin
''The Virtuous Sin'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier and starring Walter Huston, Kay Francis, and Kenneth MacKenna. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is ...
'', directed by
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...
and
Louis J. Gasnier
Louis Joseph Gasnier (September 15, 1875 – February 15, 1963) was a French-American film director, producer, screenwriter and stage actor. A cinema pioneer, Gasnier shepherded the early career of comedian Max Linder, co-directed the enormously ...
(1930, based on the play ''The General'')
**', directed by Gustaf Bergman (Swedish, 1931, based on the play ''The General'')
**''
The Rebel'', directed by
Adelqui Migliar (French, 1931, based on the play ''The General'')
**''
Die Nacht der Entscheidung'', directed by
Dimitri Buchowetzki
Dimitri Buchowetzki (1885–1932) born Dmitry Savelyevych Bukhovecky was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and actor in Germany, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, and France.
Life and career
Initially Buchowetzki studied law. Later h ...
(German, 1931, based on the play ''The General'')
*', directed by
Marc Sorkin
Marc Sorkin or Mark Sorkin (1902–1986) was a Russian-born film editor and director.Rentschler p.277 He worked with Georg Wilhelm Pabst on a number of films as editor or assistant director.
He was born in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius which was ...
and
G. W. Pabst
Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic.
...
(French, 1933, based on the play ''The Firebird'')
*''
The Firebird
''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev' ...
'', directed by
William Dieterle
William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...
(1934, based on the play ''The Firebird'')
*''
Két fogoly'', directed by
Steve Sekely
Steve Sekely (February 25, 1899– March 9, 1979) was a Hungarian film director. Born István Székely, he was known by several names, based on his changing professional and immigration status, including Stefan Szekely.
He directed films in Hun ...
(Hungarian, 1938, based on the novel ''Two Prisoners'')
*''Süt a nap'', directed by László Kalmár (Hungarian, 1939, based on the play ''Süt a nap'')
*''Hazajáró lélek'', directed by Lajos Zilahy (Hungarian, 1940, based on the play ''Hazajáró lélek'')
*''Valamit visz a víz'', directed by Lajos Zilahy and Gusztáv Oláh (Hungarian, 1944, based on the novel ''Something Is Drifting on the Water'')
*''El pecado de una madre'', directed by Ramón Pereda (Mexican, 1944, based on the play ''The Firebird'')
*''
Her Final Role
''Her Last Part'' or ''Her Final Role'' (French:''Son dernier rôle'') is a 1946 French drama film directed by Jean Gourguet and starring Gaby Morlay, Jean Debucourt and Marcel Dalio.Rège p.605 A top actress discovers that she is seriously ill.
...
'', directed by
Jean Gourguet
Jean Gourguet (5 December 1902 - 13 March 1994) was a French film director, screenwriter and film producer.
Filmography
Director
* 1928 : ''Rayon de soleil''
* 1929 : '' L'Escale''
* 1934 : '' L'Affaire Coquelet''
* 1938 : '' Jeannette Bo ...
(French, 1946, based on the novel ''Az utolsó szerep'')
*''
Algo flota sobre el agua'', directed by
Alfredo B. Crevenna
Alfredo B. Crevenna (22 April 1914 – 30 August 1996) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 150 films between 1945 and 1995.
Selected filmography
* '' Neither Blood Nor Sand'' (1941, screenwriter only)
* '' ...
(Mexican, 1948, based on the novel ''Something Is Drifting on the Water'')
*''
The Golden Bridge
''The Golden Bridge'' (german: Die goldene Brücke) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Curd Jürgens and Paul Hubschmid.Bock & Bergfelder p.282 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. Th ...
'', directed by
Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
(German, 1956, based on the novel ''A fegyverek visszanéznek'')
*''
The Open Door
''The Open Door'' is the second studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on September 25, 2006, by Wind-up Records. The record symbolizes a new beginning for the band, with Amy Lee in full creative control, incorporating new ele ...
'', directed by
César Fernández Ardavín (Spanish, 1957, based on the play ''The Firebird'')
*''Adrift'', directed by
Elmar Klos
Elmar Klos (26 January 1910 – 19 July 1993) was a Czech film director who collaborated for 17 years with his Slovak colleague Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of award ...
and
Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár (1 April 1918 – 1 June 1979) was a Hungarian-born Slovak film writer and director of Jewish heritage.
As a filmmaker, he worked in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Canada. Most of his films were directed in tandem with Elm ...
(Czech, 1969/71, based on the novel ''Something Is Drifting on the Water'')
Screenwriter
* ''Egy lány elindul'' (dir.
Steve Sekely
Steve Sekely (February 25, 1899– March 9, 1979) was a Hungarian film director. Born István Székely, he was known by several names, based on his changing professional and immigration status, including Stefan Szekely.
He directed films in Hun ...
, 1937)
* ''Szívet szívért'' (dir.
Steve Sekely
Steve Sekely (February 25, 1899– March 9, 1979) was a Hungarian film director. Born István Székely, he was known by several names, based on his changing professional and immigration status, including Stefan Szekely.
He directed films in Hun ...
, 1937)
* ''Halálos tavasz'' (dir. László Kalmár, 1939)
* ''A szüz és a gödölye'' (dir. Lajos Zilahy, 1941)
Director
* ''Hazajáró lélek'' (1940)
* ''A szüz és a gödölye'' (1941)
* ''Valamit visz a víz'' (1944)
References
Further reading
*Giffuni, Cathe (1988) "Lajos Zilahy: A Bibliography," Hungarian Studies 4/2.
External links
*
* John Pauker translated the English edition of ''The Dukays''. His
papers can be found at the
University of Maryland Libraries.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zilahy, Lajos
1891 births
1974 deaths
People from Salonta
Hungarian writers
Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I