Mihály Babits de Szentistván | |
|---|---|
 Babits in 1940 | |
| Born | (1883-11-26)26 November 1883 |
| Died | 4 August 1941(1941-08-04) (aged 57) |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Period | 1900–1941 |
| Genre | Poetry,Short stories,Novels Literary history Essays,lyric poetry |
| Spouse | Ilona Tanner [hu] (pen name: Sophie Török) |
| Relatives | Mother: Auróra Kelemen Father: Mihály Babits |
Mihály Babits (Hungarian:[ˈmihaːjˈbɒbit͡ʃ]; 26 November 1883 – 4 August 1941) was aHungarian poet, writer, essayist, and translator. His poems are well known for their intense religious themes. His novels such as “The Children of Death” (1927) explore psychological problems.[1]
Babits was born inSzekszárd. He studied at theUniversity of Budapest from 1901 to 1905, where he metDezső Kosztolányi andGyula Juhász. He worked to become a teacher and taught at schools inBaja (1905–06),Szeged (1906–08),Fogaras (1908–11),Újpest (1911), andBudapest (1912–18).
His reputation for his poems in the literary life started in 1908.
He made a trip toItaly in the same year, which made him interested inDante; he made several other trips in later years. This experience led him to translate Dante'sDivine Comedy (Hell, 1913,Purgatory, 1920, andParadise, 1923).
Briefly after theHungarian Revolution of 1919 he became a Professor of Foreign Literature and modern Hungarian literature at the University of Budapest, but was soon removed for hispacifism after the revolutionary government fell.
In 1911, he became a staff writer on the magazineNyugat.
Babits' 1918 novelThe Nightmare (also known asKing's Stork) is ascience fiction novel about a split personality influenced byFreudian psychology.[2] His 1933 novelPilot Elza or the Perfect Society (Hungarian:Elza pilóta, vagy a tökéletes társadalom) is set in adystopian future.[3]
In 1921 marriedIlona Tanner [hu], who later published poetry under the nameSophie Török. Two years later he moved toEsztergom. In 1927 he became a member of the "Kisfaludy Társaság" (Kisfaludy Society) and in the same year he was made a trustee of theBaumgarten Prize.
He became the editor-in-chief ofNyugat in 1929 (sharing the role until 1933 withZsigmond Móricz), a position he held until his death.
In 1937, he was diagnosed as havinglaryngeal cancer. He died in Budapest in 1941.
Babits is best known for hislyric poetry, influenced by classical and English forms. He also wrote essays and translated much fromEnglish,French,German,Greek,Italian, andLatin. There is a museum in Szekszárd showcasing Mihály Babits's work and life, as well as a memorial building inEsztergom.[4] His brother István Babits occupied the house at Szekszárd most of the time, with his two sons: István and Tibor.
A bilingual selection of his poems was published in 1988 and in 1994, titled21 Poems (21 vers), translated byIstván Tótfalusi (Maecenas).
