Frigyes Karinthy
Encyclopedia
Frigyes Karinthy was a Hungarian
author
, playwright
, poet
, journalist
, and translator
. He was the first proponent of the six degrees of separation
concept, in his 1929 short story, Chains (Láncszemek). Karinthy remains one of the most popular Hungarian writers. He was the father of poet Gábor Karinthy and writer Ferenc Karinthy
.
Among the English translations of Karinthy's works are two novellas that continue the adventures of Swift's character Gulliver. Voyage to Faremido
is an early examination of artificial intelligence, while Capillaria
is a polished and darkly humorous satire on the 'battle of the sexes'.
called That's How YOU Write (Így írtok ti). He expanded the collection continuously during the following years. Among his early works, his collection of short stories from school life, Please Sir! (Tanár úr, kérem) also stands out for its grasp of the trials and tribulations of the average schoolboy. Another popular highlight is his translation of A. A. Milne
's Winnie the Pooh, that made it a cult
book in Hungary.
After the First World War, his writing became more serious and engaged, though never leaving a satirical
bent. Karinthy cited Jonathan Swift
as a major influence: from this arose the novel Voyage to Faremido
(Utazás Faremidóba) and its sequel, Capillaria
. Many of his novels and stories also deal with the difficulties of relationships between men and women, partly due to his unhappy second marriage.
Karinthy had a brain tumor
for which he was operated upon in Stockholm
in 1936. He describes this experience in his autobiographical novel, Journey Round my Skull, (Utazás a koponyám körül), originally published in 1939; a reissue appeared as a NYRB Classic in 2008 with an introduction by neurologist Oliver Sacks
. He died two years later, during a holiday at Lake Balaton
.
pandemic
in 1919. In 1920, he married the psychiatrist Aranka Böhm, with whom he had another son, the writer Ferenc Karinthy
. Although he did not speak the language, Karinthy was an ardent supporter of Esperanto
, attending Esperanto congresses, and even became president of the Hungarian Esperanto Society in 1932.
He is well known for his dry sense of humor, as he himself noted: "In humor I know no jokes." Just one example for it was his advertising slogan for his book Journey Round my Skull: The Newest Novel of the Famed Tumorist.
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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, poet
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...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. He was the first proponent of the six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer...
concept, in his 1929 short story, Chains (Láncszemek). Karinthy remains one of the most popular Hungarian writers. He was the father of poet Gábor Karinthy and writer Ferenc Karinthy
Ferenc Karinthy
Ferenc Karinthy was a novelist, playwright, journalist, editor and translator, as well as a water polo champion. He authored more than a dozen novels. The writer and journalist Frigyes Karinthy was his father....
.
Among the English translations of Karinthy's works are two novellas that continue the adventures of Swift's character Gulliver. Voyage to Faremido
Voyage to Faremido
Voyage to Faremido is a fantastic novel by Frigyes Karinthy. It presents beings who not only understand the secrets of nature, but they are the secret of nature themselves — they are nature personified.- Content :...
is an early examination of artificial intelligence, while Capillaria
Capillaria
Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy's fantastic novel Capillaria , which depicts an undersea world inhabited exclusively by women, recounts, in a satirical vein reminiscent of the style of Jonathan Swift , the first time that men and women experience sex with one another.Expressing a pessimistic,...
is a polished and darkly humorous satire on the 'battle of the sexes'.
Life and work
Karinthy was born into a bourgeois family in Budapest. He started his writing career as a journalist and remained a writer of short, humorous blurbs until his death. He rose to instant fame in 1912 with the publication of his literary parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
called That's How YOU Write (Így írtok ti). He expanded the collection continuously during the following years. Among his early works, his collection of short stories from school life, Please Sir! (Tanár úr, kérem) also stands out for its grasp of the trials and tribulations of the average schoolboy. Another popular highlight is his translation of A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
's Winnie the Pooh, that made it a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
book in Hungary.
After the First World War, his writing became more serious and engaged, though never leaving a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
bent. Karinthy cited Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
as a major influence: from this arose the novel Voyage to Faremido
Voyage to Faremido
Voyage to Faremido is a fantastic novel by Frigyes Karinthy. It presents beings who not only understand the secrets of nature, but they are the secret of nature themselves — they are nature personified.- Content :...
(Utazás Faremidóba) and its sequel, Capillaria
Capillaria
Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy's fantastic novel Capillaria , which depicts an undersea world inhabited exclusively by women, recounts, in a satirical vein reminiscent of the style of Jonathan Swift , the first time that men and women experience sex with one another.Expressing a pessimistic,...
. Many of his novels and stories also deal with the difficulties of relationships between men and women, partly due to his unhappy second marriage.
Karinthy had a brain tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
for which he was operated upon in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1936. He describes this experience in his autobiographical novel, Journey Round my Skull, (Utazás a koponyám körül), originally published in 1939; a reissue appeared as a NYRB Classic in 2008 with an introduction by neurologist Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
. He died two years later, during a holiday at Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
.
Private life
Karinthy was married twice. He married the actress Etel Judik in 1913. The marriage was serene and happy and they had a son called Gábor. Tragically, Etel died very young during the Spanish fluSpanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
in 1919. In 1920, he married the psychiatrist Aranka Böhm, with whom he had another son, the writer Ferenc Karinthy
Ferenc Karinthy
Ferenc Karinthy was a novelist, playwright, journalist, editor and translator, as well as a water polo champion. He authored more than a dozen novels. The writer and journalist Frigyes Karinthy was his father....
. Although he did not speak the language, Karinthy was an ardent supporter of Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
, attending Esperanto congresses, and even became president of the Hungarian Esperanto Society in 1932.
He is well known for his dry sense of humor, as he himself noted: "In humor I know no jokes." Just one example for it was his advertising slogan for his book Journey Round my Skull: The Newest Novel of the Famed Tumorist.
External links
- Biography, quotes, publications compiled for the Frankfurt Book Fair
- Biography at the website of the secondary school named after him
- The Grotesque: Frigyes Karinthy. In: Lóránt Czigány: A History of Hungarian Literature, chapter XIX.
- Karinthy's entry in Albert Tezla: Hungarian authors – A bibliographical handbook