Dezső Szabó (writer)
Encyclopedia
Dezső Szabó died January 5, 1945 in (Budapest
) was a Hungarian
linguist and writer noted for his nationalist and anti-semitic views. Szabó has been considered one of the first "pioneers of Magyar populist literature".
Szabó came to live in Budapest
in 1918 and started publishing short essays in the literary revue Nyugat
.
Though initially supporting the Hungarian Revolution of 1918
which followed the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy
, Szabó soon developed into an outspoken and vehement opponent of the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic
proclaimed by Béla Kun
.
He was quick to become a well-known and highly influential and energetic writer, gaining fame for his 1919 novel "Az elsodort falu" ("The Eroded Village"), an expressionist work espousing the idea that hope for a Hungarian renaissance lay in the peasant class, as opposed to the middle class which Szabó believed was "corrupted by the mentalities of the assimilated Germans and Jews". This novel enjoyed a considerable influence during the period of "White Terror" following suppression of the Communist revolution. Though he published many later books, this was considered as the peak of his literary achievements.
Szabó has been considered the first "intellectual anti-Semite among Hungarian writers", and he was a regular constibutor to the journal Virradat, one of the most rabidly anti-semitic papers of the inter-war period, in which he published no less than 44 articles during three years. These articles were couched in highly apocalyptic and alarmist tones, reprimanding the Hungarian nation for its "feebleness".
Szabó explicitly never call for the physical extermination of the Hungarian Jews. He writes the next important line in "The Eroded Village" when Miklós (a key figure of his main work) says this sentence to his old jew friend: "If you should know that all my anger comes out from that I know that we depend on each other, because I love you."
However, at the same time Szabó was also vehemently anti-German, embarking in 1923 on a "Campaign to eradicate German influence in Hungary". After 1932 he was also outspokenly opposed to the Arrow Cross Party
, the Hungarian Fascists—without abandoning his anti-semitic views.
This combination of views was due to his own specific brand of racism, which Szabó termed "The Apotheosis of the Hungarian Race".
His influence, considerable during the 1920s, waned in the following decade.
Szabó died in January 1945, during the siege of Budapest by the Soviet Army
.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) was a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
linguist and writer noted for his nationalist and anti-semitic views. Szabó has been considered one of the first "pioneers of Magyar populist literature".
Szabó came to live in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in 1918 and started publishing short essays in the literary revue Nyugat
Nyugat
Nyugat , was the most influential Hungarian literary journal in the first half of the 20th century. Writers and poets from that era are referred to as "1st/2nd/3rd generation of the NYUGAT"....
.
Though initially supporting the Hungarian Revolution of 1918
Hungarian Democratic Republic
The Hungarian People's Republic was an independent republic proclaimed after the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918...
which followed the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
, Szabó soon developed into an outspoken and vehement opponent of the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist state established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I....
proclaimed by Béla Kun
Béla Kun
Béla Kun , born Béla Kohn, was a Hungarian Communist politician and a Bolshevik Revolutionary who led the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919.- Early life :...
.
He was quick to become a well-known and highly influential and energetic writer, gaining fame for his 1919 novel "Az elsodort falu" ("The Eroded Village"), an expressionist work espousing the idea that hope for a Hungarian renaissance lay in the peasant class, as opposed to the middle class which Szabó believed was "corrupted by the mentalities of the assimilated Germans and Jews". This novel enjoyed a considerable influence during the period of "White Terror" following suppression of the Communist revolution. Though he published many later books, this was considered as the peak of his literary achievements.
Szabó has been considered the first "intellectual anti-Semite among Hungarian writers", and he was a regular constibutor to the journal Virradat, one of the most rabidly anti-semitic papers of the inter-war period, in which he published no less than 44 articles during three years. These articles were couched in highly apocalyptic and alarmist tones, reprimanding the Hungarian nation for its "feebleness".
Szabó explicitly never call for the physical extermination of the Hungarian Jews. He writes the next important line in "The Eroded Village" when Miklós (a key figure of his main work) says this sentence to his old jew friend: "If you should know that all my anger comes out from that I know that we depend on each other, because I love you."
However, at the same time Szabó was also vehemently anti-German, embarking in 1923 on a "Campaign to eradicate German influence in Hungary". After 1932 he was also outspokenly opposed to the Arrow Cross Party
Arrow Cross Party
The Arrow Cross Party was a national socialist party led by Ferenc Szálasi, which led in Hungary a government known as the Government of National Unity from October 15, 1944 to 28 March 1945...
, the Hungarian Fascists—without abandoning his anti-semitic views.
This combination of views was due to his own specific brand of racism, which Szabó termed "The Apotheosis of the Hungarian Race".
His influence, considerable during the 1920s, waned in the following decade.
Szabó died in January 1945, during the siege of Budapest by the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
.
Works
- Az Elsodort Falu (1918)
- Csodálatos élet (1920)
- Jaj! (1925)
- Feltámadás Makucskán´ (1925)
- Karácsony Kolozsvárt (1931)