Gitta Mallasz
Encyclopedia
Gitta Mallasz was a graphic designer and an artist, but is today best known for her transcription of a series of extraordinary spiritual instructions she was one of the recipients in Hungary
during World War II
. In English the book is called Talking with Angels.
in an Austro-Hungarian
family. Her father was an officer in the Hungarian army, her mother was Austrian. In her adolescence in Hungary she became friends with Hanna Dallos at the Academy of Graphic Arts. She was a talented swimmer and in the late twenties, became national backstroke champion. She also made the acquaintance of Lili Strausz, a professor of calisthenics
who was also a massage therapist. Soon Gitta Mallasz resumed working in graphic art and joined Hanna Dallos in the atelier which she ran with her husband Joseph Kreutzer. Once antisemitism gained political power in Budapest, the aristocratic Gitta Mallasz took over the commercial management of the atelier from Hanna and Joseph, who were Jewish
just like Lili Strausz.
This quartet of young people was in search of the meaning of life and the spiritual. Then the Second World War broke out. The atmosphere became oppressive and alarming. Hanna and Joseph rented a small house in the outskirts of Budapest
and reduced their activities to the absolute essentials. Gitta Mallasz and Lili Strausz joined them. One day when Gitta shared her thoughts with her, Hanna Dallos revealed that it wasn’t her any more who was speaking. The 25th of June, 1943, was the beginning of Talking with Angels, seventeen months of spiritual instructions received and transmitted by Hanna, which ended up in an old college building transformed into a workshop for manufacturing military uniforms. The clandestine purpose was trying to save a hundred Jews. Gitta Mallasz accepted the management of it in order to save her friends. But, in 1944, the Nazi vice tightened. Joseph Kreutzer was deported on the 3rd of June, Hanna and Lili were taken to Ravensbrück on the 2nd of December. They never returned; Gitta Mallasz found herself alone in possession of a few black covered notebooks containing the transcripts of the instructions.
In Hungary, after the Nazi
terror came the Soviet
oppression. Gitta became dress and stage designer and spokesperson for the State Folk Assembly of Rábai Miklós. In those years, in spite of her professional success, Gitta said that she felt like a living dead. In 1960, she "chose freedom" and settled in France
. She restarted her career as a graphic designer. To save her family from persecution, she contracted a marriage of convenience with Laci Walder which later turned into a love-match. He was a Jewish communist, veteran of the International Brigade. With her husband, Helen Boyer, and several friends she set herself the task to translate the notebooks into French.. The publication was delayed. Eventually, the writer Claude Mettra, producer at the French public radio station France Culture
interviewed Gitta Mallasz about her spiritual adventure in his weekly program on March 22, 1976. The impact was enormous. Shortly thereafter, the text was published by Aubier and became an overnight bestseller.
Gitta Mallasz flatly refused to become a guru despite public pressure. But an invitation to a conference of the Zurich C. G. Jung Institute
in June 1983 was an important turning point. From then on Gitta Mallasz dedicated the rest of her life to commenting on Talking with Angels, and guarding against false interpretations be it in conferences or in books. In 1988, in a severe accident she broke both her wrists. She gave up her little house in Périgord
and moved to live in Tartaras
in the vineyard region of the Côte-Rôtie
in the vicinity of her close friends Bernard and Patricia Montaud. From 1985 onwards, Bernard Montaud had been organizing her conferences. She spent her last years there peacefully, writing her last books and releasing the angel
's teachings.
She died on May 25, 1992 in Tartaras
(France). Her ashes were dispersed over the Rhône river
.
were transcribed onto notebooks during a series of 88 events, from June 25, 1943 to November 23, 1944.
They have been published altogether in 18 languages.
The first edition was in French
, Dialogues avec l'ange, published in 1976.
It was first published in English in a short edition in 1979 by Watkins Publishing, followed by a complete edition by Daimon Verlag in 1988 under the title Talking with Angels.
Only in 1989 was it published in Hungarian
.
The one-woman stage adaptation of Talking with Angels: the true story of Gitta Mallasz is based on the events from the book. It was adapted and is currently being performed by Shelley Mitchell
.
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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In English the book is called Talking with Angels.
Life
Margit Eugenia (Gitta) Mallasz was born in 1907 in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
in an Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
family. Her father was an officer in the Hungarian army, her mother was Austrian. In her adolescence in Hungary she became friends with Hanna Dallos at the Academy of Graphic Arts. She was a talented swimmer and in the late twenties, became national backstroke champion. She also made the acquaintance of Lili Strausz, a professor of calisthenics
Calisthenics
Calisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using...
who was also a massage therapist. Soon Gitta Mallasz resumed working in graphic art and joined Hanna Dallos in the atelier which she ran with her husband Joseph Kreutzer. Once antisemitism gained political power in Budapest, the aristocratic Gitta Mallasz took over the commercial management of the atelier from Hanna and Joseph, who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
just like Lili Strausz.
This quartet of young people was in search of the meaning of life and the spiritual. Then the Second World War broke out. The atmosphere became oppressive and alarming. Hanna and Joseph rented a small house in the outskirts of 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...
and reduced their activities to the absolute essentials. Gitta Mallasz and Lili Strausz joined them. One day when Gitta shared her thoughts with her, Hanna Dallos revealed that it wasn’t her any more who was speaking. The 25th of June, 1943, was the beginning of Talking with Angels, seventeen months of spiritual instructions received and transmitted by Hanna, which ended up in an old college building transformed into a workshop for manufacturing military uniforms. The clandestine purpose was trying to save a hundred Jews. Gitta Mallasz accepted the management of it in order to save her friends. But, in 1944, the Nazi vice tightened. Joseph Kreutzer was deported on the 3rd of June, Hanna and Lili were taken to Ravensbrück on the 2nd of December. They never returned; Gitta Mallasz found herself alone in possession of a few black covered notebooks containing the transcripts of the instructions.
In Hungary, after the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
terror came the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
oppression. Gitta became dress and stage designer and spokesperson for the State Folk Assembly of Rábai Miklós. In those years, in spite of her professional success, Gitta said that she felt like a living dead. In 1960, she "chose freedom" and settled in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She restarted her career as a graphic designer. To save her family from persecution, she contracted a marriage of convenience with Laci Walder which later turned into a love-match. He was a Jewish communist, veteran of the International Brigade. With her husband, Helen Boyer, and several friends she set herself the task to translate the notebooks into French.. The publication was delayed. Eventually, the writer Claude Mettra, producer at the French public radio station France Culture
France Culture
France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes , as well as literary readings, radio plays, and experimental productions...
interviewed Gitta Mallasz about her spiritual adventure in his weekly program on March 22, 1976. The impact was enormous. Shortly thereafter, the text was published by Aubier and became an overnight bestseller.
Gitta Mallasz flatly refused to become a guru despite public pressure. But an invitation to a conference of the Zurich C. G. Jung Institute
C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich
The C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland was founded in 1948 by the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, the founder of Analytical Psychology...
in June 1983 was an important turning point. From then on Gitta Mallasz dedicated the rest of her life to commenting on Talking with Angels, and guarding against false interpretations be it in conferences or in books. In 1988, in a severe accident she broke both her wrists. She gave up her little house in Périgord
Périgord
The Périgord is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne département, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine région. It is divided into four regions, the Périgord Noir , the Périgord Blanc , the Périgord Vert and the Périgord Pourpre...
and moved to live in Tartaras
Tartaras
Tartaras is a commune in the Loire department in central France....
in the vineyard region of the Côte-Rôtie
Côte-Rôtie AOC
Côte-Rôtie is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône wine region of France. The vineyards are located just south of Vienne in the communes of Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône, Ampuis, and Tupin-et-Semons. The vineyards are unique because of their vertical slopes and their stone...
in the vicinity of her close friends Bernard and Patricia Montaud. From 1985 onwards, Bernard Montaud had been organizing her conferences. She spent her last years there peacefully, writing her last books and releasing the angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
's teachings.
She died on May 25, 1992 in Tartaras
Tartaras
Tartaras is a commune in the Loire department in central France....
(France). Her ashes were dispersed over the Rhône river
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
.
Talking with Angels
The dialogues in HungarianHungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
were transcribed onto notebooks during a series of 88 events, from June 25, 1943 to November 23, 1944.
They have been published altogether in 18 languages.
The first edition was in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Dialogues avec l'ange, published in 1976.
It was first published in English in a short edition in 1979 by Watkins Publishing, followed by a complete edition by Daimon Verlag in 1988 under the title Talking with Angels.
Only in 1989 was it published in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
.
The one-woman stage adaptation of Talking with Angels: the true story of Gitta Mallasz is based on the events from the book. It was adapted and is currently being performed by Shelley Mitchell
Shelley Mitchell
Shelley Mitchell is an American actress and acting teacher best known for her critically acclaimed stage performance of Talking with Angels: the true story of Gitta Mallasz....
.
Further reading
- Patrice Van Eersel, La source blanche (The white fount), Grasset, Paris, 1996 ISBN 978-2-2464-8881-1
- Bernard Montaud, Patricia Montaud, et Lydia Müller, La vie et la mort de Gitta Mallasz (The life and the death of Gitta Mallasz), Dervy, Paris, 2001 ISBN 978-2-8445-4114-7