Ákoz Kertész (; 18 July 1932 – 7 December 2022) was a Hungarian writer and screenwriter. In 2008, he was awarded the

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize (, ) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1936, by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and grou ...

for high literary honors in Hungary.

Biography

Born in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

on 18 July 1932 to Jewish parents Ferenc Kertész and Lilla Vágó, he narrowly escaped the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. After attending secondary school in

, Kertész was not admitted to university due to his Jewish ancestry and instead worked in an automobile factory for Ikarus. He studied at

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University (, ELTE, also known as ''University of Budapest'') is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in ...

from 1961 to 1966, graduating with a degree in Hungarian folk studies. From 1966 to 1992, he worked as a screenwriter for

Mafilm Mafilm was established in 1948. It has been the largest and most significant film studio in Hungary and a strategic base for the Hungarian film industry. Mafilm's history has seen days of glory, just as it has survived severe agonies. The roots ...

. He published his first book in 1962, titled ''Hétköznapok szerelme''. From 1994 to 1997, Kertész was an editor for the weekly magazine ''

Élet és Irodalom ''Élet és Irodalom'' (, also known as ''ÉS''; meaning ''Life and Literature'' in English) is a weekly Hungarian magazine about literature and politics. History and profile ''Élet és Irodalom'' was first published as a literary magazine on ...

''. On 29 August 2011, he wrote an open letter to the Hungarian newspaper ' detailing his harassment. On 29 February 2012, he applied for asylum in Canada, which was granted in November 2013. Kertész died in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on 7 December 2022, at the age of 90.

Works

*''Hétköznapok szerelme'' (1962) *''Sikátor'' (1965) *''Makra'' (1971) *''Névnap'' (1972) *''Witwen'' (1976) *''Vdovy'' (1976) *''Jmeniny'' (1978) *''Kasparek'' (1979) *''Családi ház manzárddal'' (1982) *''Aki mer, az nyer'' (1984) *''Huszonegy'' (1984) *''A világ rendje'' (1984) *''Gimenes māja ar mansardu'' (1987) *''Makura'' (1988) *''Zakariás'' (1990) *''Másnaposság'' (1990) *''A gyűlölet ára'' (1992) *''Tündérmesék'' (1999) *''A tisztesség ára'' (2000) *''Zé és más történetek'' (2000) *''Még a kapanyél is elsülhet'' (2001) *''Brúnó, Borcsa, Benjámin…'' (2004) *''A Nap utcai fiúk'' (2006) *''A romazsaru'' (2009) *''Égszakadás, földindulás : napló miniatúrák : kisesszék és publicisztikai írások'' (2009) *''Még a kapanyél is elsülhet'' (2010) *''Zakariás'' (2010) *''Tigrisbunda'' (2011) *''Jónás Ninivében: publicisztikák'' (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kertesz, Akos 1932 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Hungarian Jews Hungarian male writers Eötvös Loránd University alumni Attila József Prize recipients Officer's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) Hungarian Holocaust survivors Writers from Budapest Hungarian emigrants to Canada