Ferenc Herczeg (born ''Franz Herzog'', 22 September 1863 in Versec,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

– 24 February 1954 in

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 o ...

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 the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

) was a Hungarian playwright and author who promoted

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

opinion in his country. He was nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

three times.

Career

He founded and edited the magazine ''Új Idők ("New Times")'' in 1895. In 1896, he was elected to parliament, and in 1901, he became the president of the

Petőfi Society Petőfi may refer to: * Sándor Petőfi (1823–1849), a Hungarian poet and revolutionary ** Petőfi Bridge ** Petőfi Csarnok ("Petőfi Hall") ** '' Dem Andenken Petőfis'' ( hu, Petőfi szellemének, links=no, "In Petofi's Memory"), a piece for ...

. ''Dream Country'' (1912), one of his more prominent novels, tells how the love affair of an American business magnate and a Hungarian adventuress ends in jealousy and murder in the course of a yacht tour from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

and

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In 1925, 1926 and 1927, he was nominated for the Nobel prize for ''The Gates of Life'' (1919), a historical novel about archbishop

Tamás Bakócz Tamás Bakócz (1442, in Erdőd15 June 1521, in Esztergom) was a Hungarian archbishop, cardinal and statesman. He was the son of a wagoner and was adopted by his uncle, who trained him for the priesthood and whom he succeeded as rector of Tét ...

, the only Hungarian aspirant to the papal throne, set in 16th-century

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. One major recurring theme of his novels is the conflict of a rich heir with his brother, cousin or rival who has been cheated of his lawful rights (''Huszt of Huszt'' 1906, ''The Two Lives of Magdalena'' 1917, ''Northern Lights'' 1930). In 1949, Herczeg sued movie studio MGM, producer Joe Pasternak and screenwriters Walter Reisch and Leo Townsend for $200,000 over the 1942 movie

Seven Sweethearts ''Seven Sweethearts'' is a 1942 musical film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Kathryn Grayson, Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1917), Marsha Hunt and Van Heflin. ''Seven Sweethearts'' generated legal trouble seven years later. In 1949, Hungaria ...

, claiming they had plagiarized his play Seven Sisters, which he had written in 1903 and which Paramount Pictures had adapted into The Seven Sisters a 1915 movie starring Madge Evans.Seven Sweathearts
cm.com

Selected bibliography

* ''Above and Below'' (1890) * ''Mutamur'' (1893) * ''The Gyurkovics Girls'' (1893) * ''The Daughter of the Landlord of Dolova'' (1893) * ''The Gyurkovics Boys'' (1895) * ''The House of Honthy'' (a drama, 1896) * ''The First Storm'' (a drama, 1899) * ''Hand Washes Hand'' (a drama, 1903) * ''The Gates of Life'' (a novel, 1919)

Film adaptations

* '' The Seven Sisters'', 1915, United States, directed by

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

* '' A dolovai nábob leánya'', 1916, Austria-Hungary, directed by

Jenő Janovics Jenő Janovics (8 December 1872 – 16 November 1945) was a Hungarian film director, screenwriter and actor of the silent era. He directed 33 films between 1913 and 1920. He also wrote for 30 films between 1913 and 1918. He was the founder ...

and

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)The Colonel'' (''Az ezredes''), 1917, Austria-Hungary, directed by

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 ...

* '' Erotikon'', 1920, Sweden, directed by

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...

* '' Gyurkovicsarna'', 1920, Sweden, directed by

John W. Brunius John Wilhelm Brunius (26 December 1884 – 16 December 1937) was a Swedish actor, scriptwriter and film director. Biography In 1902, he became a student at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. After studying abroad, he was employed at the Dramaten ...

* '' A Sister of Six'', 1926, Sweden and Germany, directed by

Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius (1885–1970) was a Swedish screenwriter and film director. Hyltén-Cavallius was of the screenwriters of the 1924 Greta Garbo film '' The Saga of Gosta Berling''.Kwiatkowski p.29 He directed seven films including the 192 ...

* ''

The Rakoczi March ''The Rakoczi March'' (german: Rakoczy-Marsch) is a 1933 drama film directed by Gustav Fröhlich and Steve Sekely and starring Fröhlich, Leopold Kramer and Camilla Horn. It was a co-production between Austria, Germany and Hungary.Dassano ...

'' (''Rákóczi induló''), 1933, Austria and Hungary, 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 ...

* '' Szenzáció'', 1936, Hungary, directed by

and

Ladislao Vajda Ladislao Vajda (born Weisz László; 18 August 1906, Budapest – 25 March 1965, Barcelona) was a Hungarian-Spanish film director who made films in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy and West Germany. Biography He was born in Budapest, ...

* '' Pogányok'', 1937, Hungary, directed by

Emil Martonffy Emil Martonffy (1904–1983) was a Hungarian screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * '' It Happened in March'' (1934) * '' Thanks for Knocking Me Down'' (1935) * '' The Wise Mother'' (1935) * '' Pogányok'' (1937) * '' R� ...

* '' The Blue Fox'' (''Der Blaufuchs''), 1938, Germany, directed by

Viktor Tourjansky The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

* '' Gyurkovics fiúk'', 1941, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza * '' L'ultimo ballo'', 1941, Italy, directed by

Camillo Mastrocinque Camillo Mastrocinque (11 May 1901 – 23 April 1969) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 60 films between 1937 and 1968, and is known to horror film fans for directing '' Terror in the Crypt'' (1964) starring ...

* ''

'', 1942, United States, directed by

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), ''A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), '' Man's ...

* '' Szíriusz'', 1942, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza * '' A láp virága'', 1943, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza

References

External links

* 1863 births 1954 deaths Hungarian writers Hungarian-German people People from Vršac Banat Swabians Writers from Austria-Hungary {{Hungary-writer-stub