László Németh (18 April 1901 – 3 March 1975) was a
Hungarian dentist, writer, dramatist and essayist. He was born in
Nagybánya
Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș ...
the son of József Németh (1873–1946) and Vilma Gaál (1879–1957). Over the Christmas of 1925, he married Ella Démusz (1905–1989), the daughter of János Démusz, a keeper of a
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
. Between 1926 and 1944 they had six daughters, but two of them died in infancy. In 1959 he visited the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. In the last part of his life he lived and worked in
Tihany
Tihany /ˈtihɒɲ/ is a village on the northern shore of Lake Balaton on the Tihany Peninsula (Hungary, Veszprém County). The whole peninsula is a historical district.
The center of the district is the Benedictine Tihany Abbey, which was founde ...
. He died from a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
on 3 March 1975 in Budapest and was buried in
Farkasréti Cemetery
Farkasréti Cemetery or Farkasrét Cemetery ( hu, Farkasréti temető) is one of the most famous cemeteries in Budapest. It opened in 1894 and is noted for its extensive views of the city (several people wanted it more to be a resort area than a c ...
, Budapest, where he shares a grave with his wife.
Medical and teaching career
Németh was awarded a degree in
dentistry
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
in 1925, and worked in Szent János ( en, Saint John) Hospital. He founded a dental practice, but later became a medical practitioner for schools.
In 1926 he opened his dental surgery, although he continued to work as a
freelance
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
at the Saint John's Hospital in the Department of
Neurology
Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...
. He was a medical practitioner for Toldy School from 1926 to 1927, at the Egressy Street School from 1928 to 1931, and at Medve Street School from 1933 to 1943, when he retired as a medical practitioner. In the winter of 1927 he contracted
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
and travelled to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
Felsőgöd to
convalesce, retiring from his career as a dentist.
Between 1945 and 1948 he was a casual teacher in the history of Hungarian literature, in mathematics, and other subjects, at the grammar school in
Hódmezővásárhely
Hódmezővásárhely (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisza. ...
. In 1946 Minister of Education
Dezső Keresztury offered him a job as a school inspector for the College of Further Education, and he worked arranging the college's
curriculum
In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...
.
Literary career
In December 1925 Németh won the first prize in a competition run by
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" ...
magazine for his novel , ("Mrs Horváth Dies").
From 1926 he wrote articles and book reviews for Nyugat magazine, the ("
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Review", ("Social Science"), ("
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
n Helikon") and ("Sunrise"), for which he was the leading critic until 1931. (In the "Protestant Review" and "Sunrise" he wrote under the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
of László Lelkes.
In 1927 he became a staff writer for . The following year he and his wife travelled to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. In 1929 he had his first
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
published in that magazine, ("Human
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
"). In 1930, 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 equ ...
, but he returned it after receiving criticism from . In 1931 he took a – the equivalent of a
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is a subject-specific family of academic qualifications used in awarding bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies and a few Commonwealth countries. For some time, the Scottish ed ...
– in
Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
, and later he studied it at university for a short while.
On 29 November 1931 he attended a literary dinner in
Debrecen
Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
hosted by the Ady Association, where five
folk writers (,
Gyula Illyés
Gyula Illyés born ''Gyula Illés'' (2 November 1902 – 15 April 1983) was a Hungarian poet and novelist. He was one of the so-called ''népi'' ("from the people") writers, named so because they aimed to show – propelled by strong so ...
,
János Kodolányi,
Lőrinc Szabó and himself) were warmly received at their public reading.
His relationship with ''Nyugat'' magazine was somewhat strained, and in the 1930s he had confrontations with the editor,
Mihály Babits
Mihály Babits (; 26 November 1883 – 4 August 1941) was a Hungarian poet, writer and translator. His poems are well known for their intense religious themes. His novels such as “The Children of Death” (1927) explore psychological pro ...
, who was a trustee of the Baumgarten Foundation, because of his criticism of . His relationship with Nyugat broke down. In 1943 he wrote a monograph ("Instead of me") in which he stated that one of the reasons for this breakdown was Kodolányi, who disliked the fact that Németh had written a strongly worded letter to Lóránt Basch, who was also a trustee of the Baumgarten Foundation, suggesting that Kodolányi should be given financial assistance. Because of this, the other trustee,
Mihály Babits
Mihály Babits (; 26 November 1883 – 4 August 1941) was a Hungarian poet, writer and translator. His poems are well known for their intense religious themes. His novels such as “The Children of Death” (1927) explore psychological pro ...
didn't want to help him. It ended embarrassingly, as Németh was in Babits' flat when Basch telephoned Babits to tell him about Németh's letter. From 1932 Németh wrote no more for Nyugat.
On 26 September Németh founded the ("Witness") magazine, which published 17 issues until 1937. From April 1934 he edited the ("Answer") newspaper with
Lajos Fülep
Lajos Fülep (January 23, 1885 – October 7, 1970) was a Hungarian art historian, philosopher of art, pastor of the Reformed Church in Hungary, and university professor.
Life and career
He was born into the family of a veterinarian. Fülep re ...
and and from 1934 to 1935 he was Head of the Department of Literature at the
Magyar Rádió
Magyar Rádió (MR, ''The Hungarian Radio Corporation'', also known internationally as ''Radio Budapest'') is Hungary's publicly funded radio broadcasting organisation. It is also the country's official international broadcasting station.
Dome ...
(Hungarian Radio Corporation). During his leadership he tried to encourage and promote contemporary Hungarian literature. In his programmes there were many writers and poets who read their own works and discussed them with Németh – they became well known at the time. The programme became very popular and it influenced later Hungarian literature and the Hungarian Radio Corporation's programme scheduling policy.
In 1934 Németh's had his first book published, ("Human and role"). In 1935 he joined in the ("New Intellectual Front") and worked for the ''Sziget'' ("Island") periodical and ''Magyarságtudomány'' ("Hungarian Science").
On 30 March 1938 the
National Theatre premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
d one of his plays, ''Villámfénynél'' ("Lightning"). Later on the theatre had two other productions based on his works: ''Papucshős'' ("Silent Hero") on 4 November 1939, and ''Cseresznyés'' ("Cherry Orchard") on 10 January 1942. On 13 May 1939 the National Theatre introduced his historical play, ''VII. Gergely'' ("Gregory VII").
Between 1939 and 1942 he was assistant to
Zsigmond Móricz
Zsigmond Móricz (; 29 June 1879, Tiszacsécse – 4 September 1942) was a major Hungarian novelist and Social Realist.
Biography
Zsigmond Móricz was born in Tiszacsécse in 1879 to Bálint Móricz and Erzsébet Pallagi. On his mother's ...
at the ' ("Eastern Nation") magazine. During
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 ...
he worked for ''Kelet Népe'', the ''Híd'' ("Bridge") and the ' ("Hungarian Star") periodicals. Németh collected his monographs and published them in a book called ''A minőség forradalma'' ("The Revolution of Quality"). He was one of the lecturers at a conference in
Balatonszárszó
Balatonszárszó is a village along the southern shore of Lake Balaton in Somogy county, Hungary.
The settlement is part of the Balatonboglár wine region.
Gallery
File:Memorial to Attila József in Balatonszemes.jpg, Memorial to Attila Jó ...
. At this conference he made a statement about Judaism, which influenced his life and others' attitude towards his works.
From 1944 and on, when he made the same speech at conferences he omitted his remarks about Judaism.
From 19 March 1944, during the German occupation he lived in
Göd
Göd () is a small city in Pest County, Hungary.
Location
The city is northeast of Budapest.
Economy
Göd has a thriving tourist trade. It has a thermal spa open almost 365 days a year with water rich in minerals.
Along the M2 motorway
Göd ...
,
Szilasbalhás and
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. For a short while he stopped writing articles for magazines. After the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
occupied Budapest, Németh and his family moved to
Békés.
In 1969 the publishers
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 ...
and issued his ''Collected Works''.
Awards
* 1951 – the
Attila József Prize The Attila József Prize is an annually awarded Hungarian literary prize for excellence in the field of belles-lettres. It was first presented in 1950 in honour of the poet Attila József. Another major Hungarian literary prize is the Kossuth Prize ...
for his translation of
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's work
Anna Karenina
''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...
* 1957 – the
Kossuth Prize
The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...
(he gave the prize money to the Hódmezővásárhely school's library)
* 1961 – Gold Order of Merit for Work
* 1965 – the
Herder Prize The Herder Prize (german: Gottfried-von-Herder-Preis), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and Sout ...
* 1968 – the
Batsányi Prize.
Works
''The English names of the works are approximate translations and are not published titles of them.''
Novels
* ''Emberi Színjáték'' (1929) ("Human Play")
* ''Gyász'' (1935) ("Mourning")
The
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
Zsófi Kurátor has lost her husband. After she loses her child too, she spends the rest of her life in mourning. Because she follows the rules of a widow, people in her village treat her as an outcast. The whole community scrutinises her every act: can no man tempt her?
* ''Iszony'' (1947) ("Loathing"/"Revulsion")
The protagonist Nelli Kárász is a loner and uninterested in men. After her
arranged marriage
Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...
, Nelli's marriage and life are unhappy. She hates being dependent on her husband, hates the prison of her marriage. Her husband, Sanyi Takaró, abuses her body and soul. Nelli tries to be a good housekeeper, but at the same time a bad wife, because she wants to annoy her husband in the hope that he will leave her. Her husband, however, tries to make his marriage as happy as possible and looks up to his wife as a goddess. Sanyi becomes jealous of one of their friends, even though he knows that Nelli is not interested in him. As the marriage goes downhill Sanyi has affairs with servant girls. The marriage ends with his death: he is very ill and, against doctor's advice, he tries to have sex with Nelli, who resists. In the middle of the battle his heart stops as Nelli smothers his face with a pillow. It is not clear whether he dies of
choking
Choking, also known as foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO), is a phenomenon that occurs when breathing is impeded by a blockage inside of the respiratory tract. An obstruction that prevents oxygen from entering the lungs results in oxygen de ...
or
suffocation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
.
* ''Égető Eszter'' (1948) ("Eszter Égető")
The protagonist Eszter tries to fight against life's difficulties. She has three children and a happy marriage, until her husband cheats on her. She looks after her father, helps with their farm, and supports village life. Eszter struggles to make her home, marriage and life happy.
* ''Irgalom'' ("Mercy")
Plays
* Bodnárné (1931) ("Mrs Bodnár")
* II. József ("
Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
")
* VII. Gergely ("
Gregory VII")
* Villámfénynél ("Lightning")
* Pusztuló magyarok (1936–1946) ("Dying Hungarians")
* Papucshős (1938) ("Silent Hero")
* Erzsébet-nap (1940–46) ("
Saint Elisabeth's Day")
* Széchenyi (1946) ("
Széchenyi
Széchenyi or Széchényi is the name of a wealthy Hungarian noble family which produced many politicians, landowners and influential figures within Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is not to be confused with other Szécsényi family that went extinct ...
")
* Eklézsia-megkövetés (1946) ("Megkövetés
Ecclesiology
In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership.
In its early history, one of the ...
")
* Husz János (1948) ("
Jan Hus
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the inspir ...
")
* Galilei (1953) ("
Galilei Galilei is a surname, and may refer to:
*Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), astronomer, philosopher, and physicist.
*Vincenzo Galilei
Vincenzo Galilei (born 3 April 1520, Santa Maria a Monte, Italy died 2 July 1591, Florence, Italy) was an Italian l ...
")
* Az áruló (1954) ("The Traitor")
* Petőfi Mezőberényben (1954) ("
Petőfi in
Mezőberény
Mezőberény (; german: Maisbrünn; sk, Poľný Berinčok) is a town in Békés county, Hungary.
Location
Mezőberény is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, 200 km southeast from Budapest. Highway 46, 47 and Budapest- Szolnok- Bék ...
")
* Apáczai (1955) ("
Apáczai")
* A két Bolyai (1961) ("The two Bolyais") (Bolyai is a family name)
* Csapda ("Trap")
* Gandhi halála ("
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
's Death")
* Nágy próféta (verses) ("The Four
Apostles
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
") (in poetic form)
* Utazás (1961) ("Journey")
* Nagy család ("Large Family")
* Harc a jólét ellen (1964) ("Fight Against Luxury")
Essays
*A minőség forradalma (1940) ("The Revolution of Quality")
*Készülődés (1941) ("Preparation")
*Kisebbségben (1942) ("In the Minority")
*Sajkódi esték (1961) ("Evenings in
Sajkód")
*A kísérletező ember (1963) ("The Experimental Human")
Memorials
* A statue by
Róbert Csíkszentmihályi, unveiled on 28 April 2006 at the corner of Pasarét and Radnai streets in Budapest.
*
László Németh Prize
* László Németh Grammar School, Budapest XIII.
* László Németh
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...
,
Nagybánya
Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș ...
, at 1 Luminişului Street
* László Németh Primary School, Budapest VIII.
* László Németh Primary School,
Felsőgöd
* László Németh Primary School,
Mezőszilas
Mezőszilas is a village in Fejér County, Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to t ...
* László Németh Primary School,
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...
References
Sources
''All the following links and sources are in
Hungarian.''
* (Membership required)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemeth, Laszlo
1901 births
1975 deaths
People from Baia Mare
National Peasant Party (Hungary) politicians
Hungarian essayists
Male essayists
Hungarian male dramatists and playwrights
Hungarian dentists
20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights
Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery
20th-century essayists
Herder Prize recipients
20th-century Hungarian male writers
Baumgarten Prize winners
Attila József Prize recipients
20th-century dentists