Miklós Szentkuthy (born Miklós Pfisterer; 2 June 1908 – 18 July 1988) was one of the most prolific Hungarian writers of the 20th century. His works include numerous novels, essays, translations, and a voluminous diary spanning the years 1930–1988. As the author of masterpieces such as ''Prae'', the epic 10-volume ''St. Orpheus Breviary'', ''Chapter on Love'' and ''Towards the One and Only Metaphor'', he is recognized as one of the most significant Hungarian writers of the 20th century. To date, his works have been translated into English,

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 ...

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Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

, Slovak, and Turkish.

Style

Szentkuthy composed an oeuvre both imposing and complex, centered on the conflict between art and life, or the aspiration for holiness and eroticism. It includes fictionalized biographies of musicians such as

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

, and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

, artists like Dürer and

Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, ...

, writers

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

and

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, and historical figures Superbus and

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (gi ...

, etc., written in the form of collections of fragments or notes with a wealth of audacious metaphors. For the experimental side and erudite aspect of his work, he is sometimes compared to the Argentine writer

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...

. However, in ''My Career'', Szentkuthy stated that he "never, in any shape or form, considered ''Prae'' to be a work that belonged to an avant-garde. ��When people pigeonholed the book with ‘surrealism’ and other ‘isms’ I felt a bit like

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''Bourgeois Gentilhomme'', who on being taught the difference between poetry and prose, exclaims in astonishment, 'Good Heavens! For more than forty years I have been speaking prose without knowing it!' It was also on the basis of an honorable misunderstanding of ''Prae'' that I was invited to what was catalogued as the avant-garde “European School” – perhaps more to address them as a speaker than a proper member – and there I delivered talks on

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, and a host of old classics, amply demonstrating that what the school fondly imagined were revolutionary innovations had also played a part, to a greater or lesser extent (better too), in the history of the arts."

Works

Szentkuthy was only 26 when he published his debut novel ''Prae'' (1934), which he intended to be a panoramic description of European culture of the twenties. Containing little plot or dialogue, the novel consists mostly of philosophical reflections and descriptions of modern interiors. One of the formal innovations of ''Prae'' lies in the fragmentary structure of the text. The novel consists of numerous reflections, descriptions, and scenes that are only loosely connected. While in 1934 the novel was received with indifference, today it is recognised as the first fully modernist Hungarian novel. Szentkuthy's second book, ''Towards the One and Only Metaphor'' (1935), is a collection of short diary-like epigrams and reflections; it was intended as a literary experiment to follow the thinking self through the most delicate thoughts and impressions without imposing any direction on it. His next novel, ''Chapter on Love'' (1936), marks a shift in his style ― the quasi-scientific language of ''Prae'' gives way to a baroque prose typical of his later works. After ''Chapter on Love'', Szentkuthy developed an outline for his ''St. Orpheus's Breviary'', a grandiose cycle of historical novels. Drawing on the tradition of great Encyclopaedic narratives such as Balzac's ''The Human Comedy'' and Zola's ''Rougon-Macquart'' cycle, Szentkuthy aimed at depicting the totality of two thousand years of European culture. While there are clear parallels between this monumental work and Huysmans, Musil, and Robert Burton, and in ways it is parodic of St. Augustine, Zéno Bianu observed that its method is in part based on Karl Barth's exegetical work. "In 1938, Szentkuthy read the ''Römerbrief'' of the famous Protestant exegete Karl Barth, a commentary that is based on an analysis, phrase by phrase, even word by word, of the Epistle to the Romans. Literally enchanted by the effectiveness of this method – 'where, in his words, every epithet puts imagination in motion' – he decided to apply it on the spot to Casanova, which he had just annotated with gusto a German edition in six large volumes." In the years 1939–1942, Szentkuthy published the first six parts of the series: ''Marginalia on Casanova'' (1939), ''Black Renaissance'' (1939), ''Escorial'' (1940), ''Europa Minor'' (1941), ''Cynthia'' (1941), and ''Confession and Puppet Show'' (1942). In the period 1945–1972, due to Communist rule in Hungary, Szentkuthy could not continue ''Orpheus''. Instead he wrote a series of pseudo-biographical novels on Mozart (1957), Haydn (1959), Goethe (1962), Dürer (1966), and Handel (1967) in which he mixed historical facts with elements of fiction and autobiography. He also wrote several historical novels during this time: ''Liberated Jerusalem'', ''Chronicle Burgonde'', ''Byzance'', ''Wittenberg'', in which he put, as he himself said, several micro-Orpheus’. In 1972 Szentkuthy resumed the ''Orpheus'' cycle. Publication of the seventh volume, ''The Second Life of

Sylvester II Pope Sylvester II ( – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a French-born scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Arab and Gre ...

'', turned out to be a success and marked the beginning of Szentkuthy's renaissance. His translation of Joyce's ''Ulysses'' (1974) and the second edition of ''Prae'' (1980) was followed by the republication of his early works, which brought him widespread recognition in some European countries. Thereafter he wrote two more parts of the Orpheus cycle, ''Canonized Desperation'' (1974), and ''Bloody Donkey'' (1984). In 1988 he was awarded 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 ...

and the last book that appeared in his lifetime was ''Frivolities and Confessions'' (1988), a series of interviews conducted by Lóránt Kabdebó in 1983.

Death

Szentkuthy died in 1988, leaving the final part of ''Orpheus'' unfinished. Some fragments of it were published posthumously as ''In the Footsteps of Eurydice'' (1993).

Legacy

In the twenty-first century, Szentkuthy is generally acknowledged as one of the major innovative Hungarian novelists of the 20th century. His influence has extended to many contemporary authors, such as

Péter Esterházy Péter Esterházy (14 April 1950 – 14 July 2016) was a Hungarian writer. He was one of the best known Hungarian and Central European writers of his era. He has been called a "leading figure of 20th century Hungarian literature", his books being ...

and Péter Nádas, while some critics consider him a forerunner of postmodernism. At the same time, Szentkuthy's oeuvre remains largely unknown to the wider English-speaking public, though a recent English translation and laudatory reviews in the ''Guardian'', the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', and ''Tropes of Tenth Street'' have considerably remedied that. Additionally, in December 2013, Szentkuthy's ''Marginalia on Casanova'' was chosen by Nicholas Lezard of ''The Guardian'' as one of the best books of the year. In Europe, Szentkuthy's work has received more widespread and consistent attention, and at least one or more of his works have been translated annually since 1990. Yet, with only one monograph (József J. Fekete, P.O.S.T) and two doctoral theses devoted to his works, he is one of the most under-researched Hungarian writers, but some critics in France and elsewhere regard him to be as significant as

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

. The Petőfi Literary Museum in Budapest has an archive of Szentkuthy's manuscripts which contain unpublished work, including approximately 80–100,000 pages of a sealed diary (1930s–1988). The first part of the diary (1930s–1947) opened to researchers in 2013, the 25th anniversary of his death, and the second part (1948–1988) will be opened in 2038. Szentkuthy professed that the diary is his 'real' work, hence the opening of it should prove illuminating.

Awards and honors

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 ...

(1948) * Award of Excellence of the Publisher Europa (March 21, 1975 – for the translation of ''Ulysses'') *

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. ...

(1977) * Order of Labor Gold Degree (1978 – for his remarkable life-work, on the occ. of his 70th birthday) * Füst Milán Prize (1982) * Déry Tibor Prize (1984) * Award of Excellence from the Publisher

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 ...

(May 15, 1985 – for Vol. IV of ''St. Orpheus Breviary'', ''Bloody Donkey'') *

(April 4, 1988) * Award of Excellence from Hungarian Radio (June 28, 1988 – for the tr. of ''Ulysses'') * Elected to be included in th
Digitális Irodalmi Akadémia
(2013)

Selected bibliography

Novels and novel-essays

* ''Prae'' (1934; 1980; 2004) ** ''Prae: Vol. 1'', trans.

Tim Wilkinson Timothy David Wilkinson (born 26 July 1978) is a professional golfer from New Zealand. Biography Wilkinson was born in Palmerston North, and was educated at St Peter's College. He won the New Zealand Stroke Play Championship in 2000 and turn ...

(Contra Mundum Press, 2014) ** ''Prae: Vol. 2'', trans. Erika Mihálycsa (Contra Mundum Press, 2022) * ''Fejezet a szerelemről'' (1936; 1984). ''Chapter on Love'', trans. Erika Mihálycsa (Contra Mundum Press, 2020) * ''Fekete Orpheus-füzetek'' (1939–1942). ''Black Orpheus Booklets''; later included in ''St. Orpheus Breviary'' ** 1. ''Széljegyzetek Casanovához'' (1939; 2008). ''Marginalia on Casanova'', trans. Tim Wilkinson (Contra Mundum Press, 2012) ** 2. ''Fekete Reneszánsz'' (1939). ''Black Renaissance'', trans. Tim Wilkinson (Contra Mundum Press, 2018) ** 3. ''Eszkoriál'' (1940) ** 4. ''Europa minor'' (1941) ** 5. ''Cynthia'' (1941) ** 6. ''Vallomás és bábjáték'' (1942). ''Confession and Puppet Show'' * ''Divertimento. Változatok

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

életére'' (1957; 1976; 1998; 2006). ''Variations on the Life of W. A. Mozart'' * ''Doktor

'' (1959; 1979; 2009) * ''Burgundi krónika'' (1959; 1978). ''Burgundy Chronicle'' * ''Hitvita és nászinduló: Wittenberg, Bizánc'' (1960). ''Religious Debate and Wedding March: Wittenberg and Byzantium'' * ''Arc és álarc'' (1962; 1982). ''Face and Mask'' * ''Megszabadított Jeruzsálem'' (1965). ''Jerusalem Liberated'' * ''Saturnus fia'' (1966; 1989). ''Son of Saturn''; novel about

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

* ''Angyali Gigi'' (1966). ''Angelic Gigi''; novella * ''

Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

'' (1967; 1975). * ''Meghatározások és szerepek'' (1969). ''Definitions and Roles'' * '' II Szilveszter második élete'' (1972). ''The Second Life of Sylvester II'' * ''Szent Orpheus breviáriuma'' (1973–1984). ''St. Orpheus Breviary'': **Vol. 1 (1973) contains the first four volumes of ''Black Orpheus Booklets'' (1. ''Marginalia on Casanova'', 2. ''Black Renaissance,'' 3. ''Eszkoriál'', and 4. ''Europa minor'') **Vol. 2 (1973) contains two more volumes of ''Black Orpheus Booklets'' (5. ''Cynthia'', 6. ''Confession and Puppet Show'') and 7. ''The Second Life of Silvester II'' **Vol. 3 (1974) contains 8. ''Kanonizált kétségbeesés'' 'Canonized Desperation''**Vol. 4 (1984) contains 9. ''Véres szamár'' 'Bloody Donkey''* ''Szárnyatlan oltárok: Burgundi krónika, Wittenberg'' (1978). ''Wingless Altars: Burgundy Chronicle and Wittenberg'' * ''Iniciálék és ámenek'' (1987). ''Initials and Amens'', collection of shorter prose

Posthumous editions

* ''Cicero vándorévei'' (1990) * ''Barokk Róbert'' (1991; 2002). ''Baroque Robert'' * ''Saint Orpheus's Breviary'' Vol. 5 (1993) contains 10. ''Euridiké nyomán'' 'In the Footsteps of Eurydice''* ''Bianca Lanza di Casalanza'' (1994) * ''Nárcisszus tükre'' (written in 1933, first published in 1995). ''Narcissus’ Mirror'' * ''Bezárult Európa'' (2000). ''Europe Is Closed'' * ''Pendragon és XIII. Apolló'' (written 1946–1947, publ. 2008). ''Pendragon and Apollo XIII''

Essays

* ''Maupassant egy mai író szemével'' (1968). ''Maupassant in a Contemporary Writer's Eyes'' * ''Meghatározások és szerepek'' (

, 1969) * ''Múzsák testamentuma'' (1985). ''Testament of the Muses''

Short stories and other writings

* ''Iniciálék és ámenek'' (Szépirodalmi, 1987).

Diary and memoirs

* ''Az egyetlen metafora felé'' (1935, 1985). ''Towards the One and Only Metaphor'', trans. Tim Wilkinson (Contra Mundum Press, 2013) * ''Frivolitások és hitvallások'' (1988). ''Frivolities & Confessions'' * ''Ágoston olvasás közben'' (1993). ''While Reading Augustine'' * ''Harmonikus tépett lélek'' (1994). ''A Harmonious Ripped Soul'' * ''Az alázat kalendáriuma'' (1998). ''The Almanac of Humility'' * ''Fájdalmok és titkok játéka'' (2001). ''The Play of Pains and Secrets'' * ''Az élet faggatottja'' (beszélgetések, riportok, interjúk Sz.M.-sal) (2006). ''An Interrogator of Life: Conversations, Reports, and Interviews with Miklós Szenkuthy''

Other

* ''Reakitás és irrealitás viszonya

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

klasszikus naturalizmusában'' he Relationship of Reality to Unreality in the Classical Naturalism of Ben Jonson’ doctoral thesis (1931) * ''Égő katedra'' (Hamvas Intézet, 2001) * ''Örök közelség, ezer emlék'' (Szentkuthy Miklós válogatott dedikációi) mmortal Proximity, a Thousand Memories (selected dedications by Miklós Szenkuthy(2007) * ''Szentkuthy Miklós válogatott levelezése'' elected Correspondence of Miklós Szenkuthy(2008) * ''Titkok játéka'' (P.I.M., 2009)

Translations by Szentkuthy into Hungarian

* ''Az angol irodalom kincsesháza'' (Budapest: Athenaeum, 1942) Szerk: Halász Gábor, Sz.M. ford: John Lyly, ''A szerelem veszélyei''; Philip Sidney, ''A szerelem''; John Donne, ''A halálról, és: Van-e Isten?''; Sir Thomas Browne, ''Önmagáról'' bout Himself—an excerpt from ''Religio Medici'' John Milton, ''Az „Areopagiticá”-ból'' * Jonathan Swift, '' Gulliver utazásai'' (Szépirodalmi, 1952) * ''Álszentek cselekedetei'' (Szépirodalmi, 1953) * Howard Fast, ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

'' (Szépirodalmi, 1953) * Howard Fast, ''Amerikai legenda'' (Szépirodalmi, 1954) * Charles Dickens, '' Twist Olivér'' (Új Magyar Könyvkiadó, 1955) * Halldór Laxness, '' Független emberek'' (Új Magyar Könyvkiadó, 1955) * Henry Lawson, ''A batyu románca'' (Új Magyar Könyvkiadó, 1956) * ''Békedíjas írók'' (Új Magyar kiadó,1956) * Mark Twain, ''Az egymillió fontos bankjegy'' (Európa, 1957) * Mark Twain, ''Emberevés a vonaton'' (Magvető, 1966) * ''Hagyomány és egyéniség'' (1967) * ''Autóbusz és iguána'' (Európa, 1968) * Mark Twain, ''Mennyei utazás'' (Európa, 1970) * James Joyce, '' Ulysses'' (Európa, 1974) * Mark Twain, ''Megszelídítem a kerékpárt'' (Európa, 1980) * Az erőd bevétele (Zrínyi kiadó, Bp. 1980). Válogatás a világirodalom legjobb katona-elbeszéléseiből, 1800–1945 *

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial perio ...

, ''Élhetetlen szerelmesek'' (Európa, 1984) * ''

Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widel ...

és követői. Rémisztő történetek'' (Lazi kiadó, Szeged, 2002) * ''Odüsszeusztól Ulyssesig'' (Kriterion, Kolozsvár, 2006)

Videos

* András Jeles, ''Arc és álarc'' (Budapest, 1986). A video interview conducted by Pál Réz. This is an excerpt from the original 12–15 hours of footage shot by Jeles. ''Arc és álarc'' aired on Hungarian TV, Channel No. 1, in 1991. * ''TV Portrait-film'' (1983)

References

External links

Official Miklós Szentkuthy site

Miklós Szentkuthy Special Issue
''Hyperion'', Volume VIII, Issue 2, July 18, 2013 * Rainer J. Hanshe
"Entering the World Stage: Miklós Szentkuthy's ''Ars Poetica''," ''Quarterly Conversation''
(September 2, 2013)
''Marginalia on Casanova'': "Lectio (Saintly Reading)"

''Towards the One and Only Metaphor'' -- excerpt I

''Towards the One and Only Metaphor'' -- excerpt II

''Prae: Recollections of My Career'' -- excerpt I

''Prae: Recollections of My Career'' -- excerpt II

The Nile's Nymphs -- excerpt from ''St. Orpheus Breviary''

Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum

Litteraturehongroise Szentkuthy page

Zéno Bianu, "Boudoir & Theology"

* ttp://www.hlo.hu/news/outprousting_proust József J. Fekete, "Szentkuthy, the Proteus of Hungarian literature," ''Hungarian Literature Online'', 7.03.2008
Jose Antonio Garcia Simon, "Miklós Szentkuthy ou la quête de l'oeuvre absolue," ''Le Courrier'', 15 August 2008

An excerpt from Miklós Szentkuthy's novel on Haydn, ''Hungarian Literature Online'', 4.09.2009

Ferenc Takács, "A comedy of ideas. Miklós Szentkuthy: Prae," ''Hungarian Literature Online'', 5.01.2012

Diana Vonnak: "The Gallery of Inner Life. Miklós Szentkuthy: Towards the One and Only Metaphor", ''Hungarian Literature Online'', 21.03.2014

Miklós Szentkuthy: « Entendez-voir» au Petit Palais, ''Le Magazine Littéraire'' (radio broadcasts and more)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szentkuthy, Miklos 1908 births 1988 deaths Writers from Budapest Baumgarten Prize winners Attila József Prize recipients