One hundred and fifteen years ago, on May 5, 1909, Miklós Radnóti, a defining figure of 20th century Hungarian poetry, was born.
He was born as Miklós Glatter in a wealthy assimilated Jewish family in Budapest. His mother, Ilona Grosz, and his twin brother died at birth. The poet carried this trauma throughout his life. At the age of twelve, he also lost his father, Jakab Glatter. From then on, his maternal uncle, Dezső Grosz, a rich textile merchant, took care of him.
In the 1920s, he Hungarianized his family name to the name of the village of Radnót in Gömör. The choice of name is not accidental, as his paternal grandfather, Jónás Glatter, was a tavern keeper in this village. His father was also born here.
He graduated in 1927, then continued his education in Liberec for 1 year, majoring in the textile industry. He then studied Hungarian and French in Szeged.
His first book of poems was published in 1930 under the title Pogány honstő. In 1931, he published a volume entitled “Songs of the Újmódi pásztorok”, followed by “Lábadozó gyól” in 1933.
Memorial plaque of Jónás Glatter and Miklós Radnóti in Rimaszécs (Photo: István Zemko/Felvidék.ma
Radnóti obtained a doctorate in humanities in 1934, a year later he received a teacher’s certificate, but due to Jewish laws he did not get a job. On August 11, 1935, he married Fanni Gyarmati. In 1936, he earned his living as a private teacher and occasional literary activities. His volumes were published one after the other: Újhold (1935), Járkálj csik, death sentence! (1936), Steep Road (1938), Gemini Snow Book (1940). In 1938 he received the Baumgarten Prize.
Due to his origins, he was called up for labor services from 1940. Although he was baptized in 1943, he was called up again at the end of May 1944. He was taken to the town of Bor in Serbia, where he started as a member of the forced march. On November 9, 1944, he was shot dead in the town of Abda together with several of his comrades.
During the exhumation of the mass grave in Abda, the poet’s last poems were found in the notebook now known as Bori notes.
Parents of Miklós Radnóti
Miklós Radnóti is a lyricist of the third generation of the West. His poetry is defined by the heritage of the avant-garde, primarily the expressionist, and the neoclassicist poetic ideal, late modern issues do not appear in his oeuvre.
Radnóti is a moral and literary example of human standing and perseverance.
Miklós Radnóti is one of the defining figures of 20th century Hungarian poetry. His talent was already evident at the beginning of his career. His early poems are characterized by the free verse form and expressionist sounds. You can feel the harmony, the serenity, the joie de vivre, the love for Fanni, although we can still find poems with a more gloomy mood here, albeit in a smaller number. His poems reflect the joy of life and the experience of nature.
The young Miklós Radnóti
In his later volumes, the change in the world also brought about a change in his style, his works, which were created in an increasingly ominous existence, already show a mature, classical form. will carries on the tormented soul and body.
Not only did he create one of the greatest poetic oeuvres of twentieth-century Hungarian literature, but he also approached classic Hungarian literature with great skill, and also reacted sensitively to contemporary literary life.
Source: wikipedia, vers.hu, arcanum
(Péter Pásztor/Felvidék.ma)
