Gyula Krúdy
Encyclopedia
Gyula Krúdy was a Hungarian writer and journalist.
, Hungary
. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a maid working for the Krúdy family. His parents did not marry until Gyula was 17 years old.
In his teens, Krúdy published newspaper pieces and began writing short stories. Although his father wanted him to become a lawyer, Krúdy worked as an editor at provincial newspapers (Debrecen, Nagyvarad) for several years, then moved to Budapest in 1896. He was disinherited, but supported his wife (also a writer) and three children through the publication of short stories, along with novels that were almost always serialized in daily papers and periodicals.
Sinbad's Youth, published in 1911, proved a success, and Krúdy used the character, a man who shared the name of the hero
of the Arabian Nights, many times throughout his career. Another alter ego, Kazmer Rezeda, is the hero of half a dozen novels, including The Crimson Coach (1913), English translation by Paul Tabori published in 1965. Also highly regarded are the novels Sunflower (English translation published by New York Review Books
in their Classics series in 2007, with an Introduction by John Lukacs) and Ladies Day, English translation published by Corvina (Budapest, 2007). Krudy's last collection of stories, Life Is a Dream, has also appeared in English translation (Penguin Books, 2010).
Krúdy's novels about Budapest were popular during the First World War but afterward he was often broke due to excessive drinking and gambling. His first marriage fell apart. His second marriage produced one daughter, Zsuzsa Krudy, who later edited several volumes of her father's work. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Krúdy's health declined and his readership dwindled. In the years after his death, his works were largely forgotten until 1940, when Hungarian novelist Sándor Márai
published Sinbad Comes Home, a fictionalized account of Krúdy's last day. This book's success brought Krúdy's works back to the Hungarian public. The edition of his Collected Works published by Szepirodalmi (Budapest, 1978-1989) ran to twenty volumes, and an edition of Krudy's Complete Works, projected as 50 volumes, is currently under way (Kalligramm, Bratislava, 2005-).
He was called "a Hungarian Proust" by critic Charles Champlin in The New York Times
. This opinion will be refined and elaborated as more of his works emerge in English versions. A comparison to James Joyce could be equally valid. His bibliography by Mihaly Gedenyi (Budapest, 1978) contains 4846 items but is believed to be incomplete and needs updating.
Biography
Gyula Krúdy was born in NyíregyházaNyíregyháza
- Tourist sights :Nyíregyháza also has several museums and exhibitions, showing the city's rich cultural heritage.* Collection of the International Medallion Art and Small Sculpture Creative Community of Nyíregyháza-Sóstó – periodic exhibitions of works of contemporary artists-Twin towns — Sister...
, Hungary
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...
. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a maid working for the Krúdy family. His parents did not marry until Gyula was 17 years old.
In his teens, Krúdy published newspaper pieces and began writing short stories. Although his father wanted him to become a lawyer, Krúdy worked as an editor at provincial newspapers (Debrecen, Nagyvarad) for several years, then moved to Budapest in 1896. He was disinherited, but supported his wife (also a writer) and three children through the publication of short stories, along with novels that were almost always serialized in daily papers and periodicals.
Sinbad's Youth, published in 1911, proved a success, and Krúdy used the character, a man who shared the name of the hero
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
of the Arabian Nights, many times throughout his career. Another alter ego, Kazmer Rezeda, is the hero of half a dozen novels, including The Crimson Coach (1913), English translation by Paul Tabori published in 1965. Also highly regarded are the novels Sunflower (English translation published by New York Review Books
New York Review Books
New York Review Books is the publishing house of The New York Review of Books. Its imprints are New York Review Books Classics, New York Review Books Collections, and The New York Review Children's Collection....
in their Classics series in 2007, with an Introduction by John Lukacs) and Ladies Day, English translation published by Corvina (Budapest, 2007). Krudy's last collection of stories, Life Is a Dream, has also appeared in English translation (Penguin Books, 2010).
Krúdy's novels about Budapest were popular during the First World War but afterward he was often broke due to excessive drinking and gambling. His first marriage fell apart. His second marriage produced one daughter, Zsuzsa Krudy, who later edited several volumes of her father's work. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Krúdy's health declined and his readership dwindled. In the years after his death, his works were largely forgotten until 1940, when Hungarian novelist Sándor Márai
Sándor Márai
Sándor Márai was a Hungarian writer and journalist.-Biography:...
published Sinbad Comes Home, a fictionalized account of Krúdy's last day. This book's success brought Krúdy's works back to the Hungarian public. The edition of his Collected Works published by Szepirodalmi (Budapest, 1978-1989) ran to twenty volumes, and an edition of Krudy's Complete Works, projected as 50 volumes, is currently under way (Kalligramm, Bratislava, 2005-).
He was called "a Hungarian Proust" by critic Charles Champlin in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. This opinion will be refined and elaborated as more of his works emerge in English versions. A comparison to James Joyce could be equally valid. His bibliography by Mihaly Gedenyi (Budapest, 1978) contains 4846 items but is believed to be incomplete and needs updating.
Translated into English
- Sunflower (1918, published in English in 2007), Hungarian title: Napraforgó ISBN 1590171861
- The Adventures of Sinbad (1911, published in English in 1998 by Central European University PressCentral European University PressFollowing the founding of the Central European University by George Soros, Central European University Press was established in 1993. Its publishing program focuses on issues of Central and Eastern Europe, the past and present history, society, culture and economy of the countries of the former...
), Hungarian title: Szindbád ifjúsága és utazásai ISBN 9789639116122 - The Crimson Coach (1913, published in English translation by P. Tabori in 1967) Hungarian title: A vörös postakocsi
- Krudy's Chronicles (selections of Krúdy's journalism, translated by John Batki, published in English in 2000 by Central European University PressCentral European University PressFollowing the founding of the Central European University by George Soros, Central European University Press was established in 1993. Its publishing program focuses on issues of Central and Eastern Europe, the past and present history, society, culture and economy of the countries of the former...
) ISBN 9789639116788 - Ladies Day (1919, published in English in 2007), Hungarian title: Asszonyságok díja ISBN 978 963 13 55499
- Life Is a Dream" : Ten Stories (1931, English translation by John Batki published by Penguin Books, 2010), Hungarian title: Az elet alom ISBN 97870141193038