Miklós Radnóti
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Miklós Radnóti (born Miklós Glatter; 5 May 1909 – November 1944) was a Hungarian
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
and
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
. He was murdered in
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
.


Biography

Miklós Glatter was the son of a vendor of the textile business company Brück & Grosz in Budapest. He was born in the 13th district quarter
Újlipótváros Újlipótváros ("New Leopold Town") is a neighborhood in the 13th district of Budapest, Hungary. It is located north to Lipótváros ("Leopold Town") neighbourhood of the 5th District, with the Szent István Boulevard (''Szent István körút'') s ...
of the Royal Hungarian capital city of
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 ...
. At birth, his twin brother was born dead and his mother died soon after
childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...
. He spent most of his childhood years with his aunt's family whose husband Dezső Grosz was one of the owners of the textile company in which his father worked until his death in 1921. Radnóti attended
primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...
and
secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...
school in his place of birth and continued his education at the high school for textile industry in
Liberec Liberec (; german: Reichenberg ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preser ...
from 1927–28 on his uncle's advice. Then he worked as commercial correspondent in the familiar textile business company until 1930. Ultimately, Radnóti was able to prevail with desire for another education and began studying
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, Hungarian and
French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
at the University of Szeged. In 1934, he finished his studies with the philosophical doctoral thesis ''The artistic development of
Margit Kaffka Margit Kaffka (10 June 1880 – 1 December 1918) was a Hungarian writer and poet. Called a "great, great writer" by Endre Ady, she was one of the most important female Hungarian authors, and an important member of the Nyugat generation. Her wri ...
''. After graduation, he changed his name to Radnóti, after the birthplace
Radnovce Radnovce ( hu, Nemesradnót) is a village and municipality in the Rimavská Sobota District of the Banská Bystrica Region of southern Slovakia. According to 2021 census, only 2.5% of inhabitants belong to the Slovak ethnic group, outnumbered by ...
(Hungarian: Radnót) of his paternal grandfather. In August 1935, he married his long-standing love Fanny (1912-2014), daughter of the owner of the respected Gyarmati
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. The very happy marriage was unfortunately childless until his deportation. In the school year of 1935-36 he gained first professional experiences as high school teacher at the
Zsigmond Kemény Baron Zsigmond Kemény (June 12, 1814December 22, 1875) was a Hungarian author. Life and work Kemény was born in Alvincz, Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Vințu de Jos, Romania) to a distinguished noble family, but famil ...
Gymnasium in Budapest. In September 1940, he was conscripted to a
Jewish 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 ...
labor battalion of the Hungarian Army until December of that year, then from July 1942 to April 1943 for the second time. On 2 May 1943, he converted together with his wife from
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
to
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
faith. In May 1944, Radnóti's third military service started and his battalion was deported to Bor in
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. After 1943, Hungarian-Jewish forced laborers were imprisoned nearby Bor's copper mines which covered 50 percent of the copper requirement of the German war industry. On 17 September 1944, Radnóti was forced to leave the camp in a column of about 3,600 prisoners because of the military offensive by Allied armies. He sustained the inhuman forced march from Bor to Szentkirályszabadja, where he wrote his last poem on 31 October. In November 1944, he and twenty other prisoners were shot and killed by members of the Hungarian Guards because of their total physical and mental exhaustion. Different dates of his murder have been given. Some publications specify a day in the period from 6 to 10 November. In the detailed and scientific exhibition of 2009 by the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...
, 4 November was said to be the date of death. Today it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to drive the 110 kilometers by car from Szentkirályszabadja to Abda. Radnóti is buried in the Kerepesi Cemetery with his wife. In 2013, his statue in Abda was damaged, but the reason for the damage has still not been clarified.


Bibliography (selection)

* ''Pogány köszöntő'' (Pagan Greeting), Kortárs, Budapest 1930. * ''Újmódi pásztorok éneke'' (Songs of Modern Shepherds), Fiatal Magyarország, Budapest 1931. * ''Lábadozó szél'' (Convalescent Wind), Fiatalok Müvészeti Kollégiumának kiadása, Szeged 1933. * ''Újhold'' (New Moon), Fiatalok Müvészeti Kollégiumának kiadása, Szeged 1935. * ''Járkálj csak, halálraítélt!'' (Just Walk Around, Condemned!), Nyugat Kiadása, Budapest 1936. * ''Meredek út'' (Steep Road), Cserépfalvi, Budapest 1938. * ''Naptár'' (Calendar), Hungária, Budapest 1942. * ''Orpheus nyomában : műfordítások kétezer év költőiből'' (In the Footsteps of
Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...
: Translations of Poetry of Two Thousand Year Old Poets), Pharos, Budapest 1943. * ''Tajtékos ég'' (Foamy Sky), Révai, Budapest 1946. * ''Radnóti Miklós művei'' (Works of Miklos Radnoti), Szepirodalmi Konyvkiado, Budapest 1978, ,
biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
by * ''Miklós Radnóti, The Complete Poetry in Hungarian and English'', McFarland & Company,
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
2014, Miklós Radnóti was Hungarian translator of works by
Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...
and Guillaume Apollinaire. His works were translated into
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
by Edward G. Emery and Frederick Turner, into
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...
by Danilo Kiš, into
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
by
Franz Fühmann Franz Fühmann (15 January 1922 – 8 July 1984) was a German writer who lived and worked in East Germany. He wrote in a variety of formats, including short stories, essays, screenplays and children's books. Influenced by Nazism in his youth ...
and into
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
by .WorldCat
by
OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
, retrieved on 2018-01-18.


Reviews

* Findlay, Bill (1980), review of ''Forced March'', in '' Cencrastus'' No. 2, Spring 1980, pp. 45 & 46,


Image Gallery

File:Miklós Radnóti (statue, Budapest).jpg,
Statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
in Budapest by
Imre Varga Imre Varga (1 November 1923 – 9 December 2019) was a Hungarian sculptor, painter, designer and graphic artist. He was regarded as one of Hungary's most important living artists, and he has been called one of the "most skilled sculptors in H ...
File:Radnóti Varga Mohács 1.JPG, Statue in Mohács by
Imre Varga Imre Varga (1 November 1923 – 9 December 2019) was a Hungarian sculptor, painter, designer and graphic artist. He was regarded as one of Hungary's most important living artists, and he has been called one of the "most skilled sculptors in H ...
File:Bust of Miklós Radnóti by György Turi, 2017 Mosonmagyaróvár.jpg, Bust in
Mosonmagyaróvár Mosonmagyaróvár (; german: Wieselburg-Ungarisch Altenburg; also known by other alternative names) is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron County in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population ...
File:Bust of Miklós Radnóti by Tamás Vigh, 2017 Margaret Island.jpg, Bust on Margaret Island File:Iskola (1221. számú műemlék) 2.jpg, Miklós-Radnóti- ELTE School in Budapest- Zugló File:Stolperstein für Miklos Radnoti - Radnoti Miklos (Budapest).jpg, Stolperstein in Budapest File:Gedenktafel für Miklos Radnoti - Radnoti Miklos (Budapest).jpg, Memorial plaque


Articles

* History of the Jews in Hungary * Hungary during World War II *
The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radnoti, Miklos 1909 births 1944 deaths Writers from Budapest People from the Kingdom of Hungary Catholic poets Christian poets Hungarian Jews who died in the Holocaust Hungarian Roman Catholics 20th-century Hungarian poets Hungarian male poets Jewish poets Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism People murdered in Hungary Deaths by firearm in Hungary Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery Hungarian twins 20th-century Hungarian male writers Baumgarten Prize winners World War II poets Hungarian civilians killed in World War II Hungarian World War II forced labourers