János Pilinszky

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Well known within the Hungarian borders for his vast influence on postwar Hungarian poetry, János Pilinszky’s style includes a juxtaposition of catholic faith and intellectual disenchantment. His poetry often focuses on the underlying sensations of life and death, and his time as a war prisoner during the second world war and later his life under communist occupation furthered his isolation and disenchantment.

Born in Budapest Hungary in 1921, Pilinszky went on to study Hungarian literature, law, and art history at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, in 1938. Although he failed to complete his studies, it was during this same year that his first works of poetry were published in several varying literary journals. Following the publication of his first body of work in 1946, Trapéz és korlát (et. Trapeze and Bars), he was awarded the Baumgarten Prize in 1947. While Trapéz és korlát consists of only 18 poems, it established Pilinszky as a major poetic force in Hungary.

His next publication, 1959’s Harmadnapon (et. On the third day), was not released for over 10 years as a result of his being labeled “pessimistic” by the ruling communist party. From 1960 to 1970, he traveled the United States of America and Europe taking part in several poetry readings. In 1971 he was awarded the József Attila Prize for his collection entitled Nagyvárosi ikonok (et. Metropolitan Icons). 1972 saw the publication of Szálkák (et. Splinters), followed by Végkifejlet (et. Final Development) and Kráter (et. Crater) in 1974 and 1975 respectively. He was awarded the Kossuth Prize in 1980 before returning to Budapest where he died in 1981.