Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award
Encyclopedia
The Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award is a European award for literature presented 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...

 since 1997. The native form of this name is Balassi Bálint-emlékkard (Balassi Bálint-emlékkard). This award commemorates the 16th century 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...

 poet Bálint Balassi
Bálint Balassi
Bálint Balassi baron of Kékkő and Gyarmat, , was a multilingual Hungarian Renaissance lyric poet, who wrote mostly in Hungarian...

. The memorial sword is presented annually to an outstanding Hungarian poet, and to a foreign poet for excellence in translation of Hungarian literature, including the works of Balassi. The sword itself is a replica of those sabres that the 16th century Hungarian cavalry wore during the sieges of fortresses. They are the work of a contemporary swordsmith. This award is presented each year on Bálint's (Valentine's) Day, February 14, in the city of Buda. The celebration venue is traditionally the Hotel Gellért
Hotel Gellért
Hotel Gellért is a famous, first class four star hotel in Budapest, Hungary. The hotel was erected on the right bank of the river Danube between 1916 and 1918 in the Art Nouveau style with some biomorphic elements, at the foot of Gellért Hill, next to Szabadság Bridge.The four star Danubius Hotel...

.

The advisory board

The president of the Balassi-board is none other than Mr Imre Makovecz, an architect of European fame. The founder of the new award is Mr Pal Molnar journalist, his fellows are Ms Gabriella Lőcsei journalist, Mr József Zelnik writer and Mr András Rubovszky hotelier. In addition, all past award winners automatically become board members, so the literary profession makes up the majority.

Global focus

In the beginning only Hungarian poets received the Balassi sword, but since 2002, each year, a foreign literary translator has also been recognized. Since then the board has viewed Balassi’s sword as a literary prize of European scope. But since then it has been received by Asian and American poets as well, making it an award of global scope.

The prize itself

In addition to the sharp, dangerous weapon - which is made by Mr József Fazekas armourer - the winners receive a diploma from László Vincze and Sons Paper Mill, a limited-edition porcelain statue from the famous Herend manufacture and a few bottles of wine. The particular wine is selected at a national tasting competition in the preceding year, and as a result this champion wine is entitled to don the “Balassi’s sword” label.

Past recipients

  • 1997 Bálint Tóth
  • 1998 Kornél Döbrentei and Albert Wass
  • 1999 Gáspár Nagy
    Gáspár Nagy
    Gáspár Nagy was a Hungarian poet and writer.-Life:He graduated from the Benedictine Grammar School of Pannonhalma where he studied Library Science in Szombathely, then Aesthetics and Sociology in Budapest....

  • 2000 Ferenc Buda and Attila Gérecz Gérecz Attila (posthumously)
  • 2001 József Utassy
  • 2002 Árpád Farkas Árpád Farkas and, for translation, Ernesto Rodrigues (Lisbon
    Lisbon
    Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

    )
  • 2003 Benedek Kiss Kiss Benedek and, for translation, Tereza Worowska (Warsaw
    Warsaw
    Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

    )
  • 2004 László Vári Fábián Vári Fábián László and, for translation, Armando Nuzzo (Rome
    Rome
    Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

    )
  • 2005 István Ferenczes and, for translation, Tuomo Lahdelma (Helsinki
    Helsinki
    Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

    )
  • 2006 Sándor Csoóri
    Sándor Csoóri
    Sándor Csoóri is a Hungarian poet, essayist, writer and politician.-Biography:In 1950, he graduated from the Reformed Pontifical College , and then studied at ELTE Institute, but dropped his studies because of illness...

     and, for translation, Lucie Szymanovska (Prague
    Prague
    Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

    )
  • 2007 János Csokits and, for translation, Dursun Ayan (Ankara
    Ankara
    Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....

     )
  • 2008 Simon Serfőző Serfőző Simon and, for translation, Yuri Gusev Jurij Pavlovics Guszev (Moscow
    Moscow
    Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

    )
  • 2009 István Tari and, for translation, Daváhügijn Ganbold (Ulan Bator )
  • 2010 István Ágh and, for translation, John Ridland (Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara, California
    Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

    )
  • 2011 Menyhért Tamás and, for translation, Ivan Canev, (Sofia
    Sofia
    Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

    )

A translation from John Ridland and Peter Czipott

IN LAUDEM VERNI TEMPORIS: BORIVÓKNAK VALÓ

IN PRAISE OF SPRINGTIME: FOR WINE-DRINKERS


To the tune of “I’ve Lost my Head”

Blessedly glorious weather at Whitsuntide,

Its sky making everyone healthier, all those who ride,

Eased by its balmy breeze, traveling roads far and wide!
You open the roses to help them spreading their scent,

And the nightingale’s silent throat to sing with content,

And clothe the trees all in their rainbow-hued raiment.
The bushes bloom brightly for you, violets, far and near,

Flowing waters and wells, thanks to you, will begin to run clear,

And the best of the fastest of horses will prick up their ears,
Because after they’ve tired their legs racing, you make them strong,

On lovely, lush, pasture grasses, all dewy and long,

You strengthen their sinews anew for the next hectic furlong.
Indeed the bold soldier-knights who have been holding the last

Of the fortresses, even they smell the sweet meadow grass,

And they too rejoice and are glad that the winter has passed!
One soldier-knight, thanks to the grass, can attend to his horse,

One who camps with his friends hears them talking, both cheerful and coarse,

One’s weapon is wiped clean of blood by the maker of swords.
Now the earth is renewed thanks to all of the gifts that you bring,

The sky’s chilly haze, thanks to you, now no longer can cling,

You make every creature cavort in the rapture of Spring.
God in His mercy has granted these glorious days.

Let us each with good heart give His holy name its proper praise,

Let us drink, in good fellowship living henceforth and always.

Sources


External links

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