Edith Gyömrői Ludowyk
Encyclopedia
Edith Gyömrői Ludowyk was a Hungarian Jewish psychotherapist, poet
and communist. She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka
.
Edit (Gelb) Gyömrői was born in Budapest
to Mark Gelb, a furniture manufacturer, and Ilona Pfeifer.
At her father’s request, she began studying interior design, but later dropped out. In 1914, she married chemical engineer Ervin Renyi - by whom she had a son, who would later die in a fascist labour camp - but divorced him in 1918. Through her uncle, she began to learn about psychoanalysis
and attended the 5th International Psychoanalytical Congress in Budapest.
From 1918 onwards she participated in gatherings of the Sunday Circle, a group of left-wing intellectuals which included psychoanalyst Rene Spitz
. In 1919, she worked for the Commissariat for Education during the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic
.
When the republic fell following the Romanian invasion
, she fled to Vienna
, where she supported herself by working at a parachute factory, and then as a sales assistant at a bookshop. She knew the Hungarian writers Bela Balazs
, composer Hans Eisler, Czech writer Egon Erwin Kisch
and Hermann Broch
- who translated her poetry into German. Thereafter she was for short periods in Czechoslovakia
and Romania
. After being expelled from Romania for her communism, she settled in Berlin in 1923, with her second husband Laszlo Tolgy (Gluck). She designed costumes for the films of Elisabeth Bergner
at the Neumann Produktion film studio, translated, interpreted and took photographs. She also worked on the staff of the Rote Hilfe
newspaper of the German Communist Party
for a time. She studied psychoanalysis from 1924 onwards and later practised it.
When Hitler came to power in 1933, Gyömrői emigrated to Prague. The following year she returned to Budapest and was also expelled by the German Communist Party.
In 1938, when Admiral Horthy's fascist regime passed its first Anti-Jewish Law, she emigrated to Sri Lankan with her third husband, journalist Laszlo Ujvari, who died in 1940. She met and married E.F.C. Ludowyk, Professor of English at the University College, Colombo. She joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party
and in 1947, together with Vivienne Goonewardena
and several other women of the LSSP , the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
and the Communist Party
, she founded the Eksath Kantha Peramuna (United Women’s Front), the first autonomous socialist women’s association in the country.
In 1956, because the island's humid climate caused her problems, the couple moved to London
.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and communist. She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka
European Radicals in Sri Lanka
The European Radicals in Sri Lanka were Europeans who went against the colonial system prevailing in Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known. Their contribution was far greater than their numbers would appear to merit, mainly because of their defiance of the white-supremacist attitude that pervaded...
.
Edit (Gelb) Gyömrői was born 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...
to Mark Gelb, a furniture manufacturer, and Ilona Pfeifer.
At her father’s request, she began studying interior design, but later dropped out. In 1914, she married chemical engineer Ervin Renyi - by whom she had a son, who would later die in a fascist labour camp - but divorced him in 1918. Through her uncle, she began to learn about psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
and attended the 5th International Psychoanalytical Congress in Budapest.
From 1918 onwards she participated in gatherings of the Sunday Circle, a group of left-wing intellectuals which included psychoanalyst Rene Spitz
René Spitz
René Árpád Spitz was an American psychoanalyst of Hungarian origin.- Biography :Rene Spitz was born in Vienna and died in Denver, Colorado. From a wealthy Jewish family background, he spent most of his childhood in Hungary. After finishing his medical studies in 1910 Spitz discovered the work of...
. In 1919, she worked for the Commissariat for Education during 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....
.
When the republic fell following the Romanian invasion
Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919
The seeds of the Hungarian–Romanian war of 1919 were planted when the union of Transylvania with Romania was proclaimed, on December 1, 1918. In late March 1919, the Bolsheviks came to power in Hungary, at which point its army attempted to retake Transylvania, commencing the war. By its final...
, she fled to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where she supported herself by working at a parachute factory, and then as a sales assistant at a bookshop. She knew the Hungarian writers Bela Balazs
Béla Balázs
----Béla Balázs , born Herbert Bauer, was a Hungarian-Jewish film critic, aesthete, writer and poet....
, composer Hans Eisler, Czech writer Egon Erwin Kisch
Egon Erwin Kisch
Egon Erwin Kisch was a Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. Known as the The raging reporter from Prague, Kisch was noted for his development of literary reportage and his opposition to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.- Biography :Kisch was born into a wealthy, German-speaking...
and Hermann Broch
Hermann Broch
Hermann Broch was a 20th century Austrian writer, considered one of the major Modernists.-Life:Broch was born in Vienna to a prosperous Jewish family and worked for some time in his family's factory, though he maintained his literary interests privately...
- who translated her poetry into German. Thereafter she was for short periods in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. After being expelled from Romania for her communism, she settled in Berlin in 1923, with her second husband Laszlo Tolgy (Gluck). She designed costumes for the films of Elisabeth Bergner
Elisabeth Bergner
Elisabeth Bergner was an actress.She was born Elisabeth Ettel in Drohobycz, Austro-Hungarian Empire ....
at the Neumann Produktion film studio, translated, interpreted and took photographs. She also worked on the staff of the Rote Hilfe
Rote Hilfe
The Rote Hilfe was the German affiliate of the International Red Aid. The Rote Hilfe was affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany and existed between 1924 and 1936.- Origin :...
newspaper of the German Communist Party
German Communist Party
The German Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist party in Germany.-History:The DKP was formed in West Germany in 1968, in order to fill the place of the Communist Party of Germany , which had been banned by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1956...
for a time. She studied psychoanalysis from 1924 onwards and later practised it.
When Hitler came to power in 1933, Gyömrői emigrated to Prague. The following year she returned to Budapest and was also expelled by the German Communist Party.
In 1938, when Admiral Horthy's fascist regime passed its first Anti-Jewish Law, she emigrated to Sri Lankan with her third husband, journalist Laszlo Ujvari, who died in 1940. She met and married E.F.C. Ludowyk, Professor of English at the University College, Colombo. She joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
and in 1947, together with Vivienne Goonewardena
Vivienne Goonewardena
Violet Vivienne Goonewardena was a Sri Lankan pioneer socialist and feminist. Her life and politics were shaped by the most interesting times of the Sri Lankan Left and she was in turn one of its more colourful personalities.-Political beginnings:Goonewardena was drawn into politics while still...
and several other women of the LSSP , the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
The Bolshevik Samasamaja Party was the Ceylon section Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma after 1945 and of the Fourth International in 1948-1950, after the dissolution of the BLPI....
and the Communist Party
Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist political party in Sri Lanka. At the last legislative elections, on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
, she founded the Eksath Kantha Peramuna (United Women’s Front), the first autonomous socialist women’s association in the country.
In 1956, because the island's humid climate caused her problems, the couple moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Works
- Renyi Edit versei (The Poems of Edit Renyi) 1919
- Miracle and Faith in Early Buddhism 1944
- Pubertatsfiten der Madchen in einer in Umwandlung begriffenen Gesellschaft (Adolescent Rites among Girls in a Society in Flux)1955