Mihály Babits
Encyclopedia
Mihály Babits (November 26, 1883, Szekszárd
– August 4, 1941) was a Hungarian
poet, writer and translator.
. He studied at the University of Budapest from 1901 to 1905, where he met Dezső Kosztolányi
and Gyula Juhász
. He worked to become a teacher and taught at schools in Baja
(1905 – 1906), Szeged
(1906–1908), Fogaras
(1908 – 1911), Újpest
(1911), and Budapest
(1912 – 1918).
His reputation for his poems in the literary life started in 1908.
He made a trip to Italy
in the same year, which made him interested in Dante
; he made several other trips in later years. This experience led him to translate Dante's Divine Comedy (Hell, 1913, Purgatory, 1920, and Paradise, 1923).
Briefly after the Hungarian Revolution of 1919 he became a Professor of Foreign Literature and modern Hungarian literature at Eötvös Loránd University, but was soon removed for his pacifism
after the revolutionary government fell.
In 1911, he became a staff writer on the magazine Nyugat
.
In 1921 married Ilona Tanner, who later published poetry under the name Sophie Török. Two years later he moved to Esztergom
. In 1927 he became a member of the Kisfaludy Társaság (Kisfaludy Society) and in the same year he was made a trustee of the Baumgarten Prize
.
He became the editor-in-chief of Nyugat in 1929 (sharing the role until 1933 with Zsigmond Móricz
), a position he held until his death.
In 1937, he was diagnosed as having laryngeal cancer. He died in Budapest in 1941.
, influenced by classical and English forms. He also wrote essays and translated much from English
, French
, German
, Greek
, Italian
, and Latin.
Szekszárd
Szekszárd is a city in Hungary and the capital of Tolna county. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area, it is the second smallest -Location:...
– August 4, 1941) was a 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, writer and translator.
Biography
Babits was born in SzekszárdSzekszárd
Szekszárd is a city in Hungary and the capital of Tolna county. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area, it is the second smallest -Location:...
. He studied at the University of Budapest from 1901 to 1905, where he met Dezső Kosztolányi
Dezso Kosztolányi
-Biography:Kosztolányi was born in Szabadka, Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1885, the town belongs today to Serbia. The city serves as a model for the fictional town of Sárszeg, in which he set his novella Skylark as well as The Golden Kite....
and Gyula Juhász
Gyula Juhász
Gyula Juhász was a Hungarian poet, who was awarded the Baumgarten Prize.His first poems were published in in 1899. Between 1902 and 1906 he was a student of the University of Budapest, where he met Mihály Babits and Dezső Kosztolányi....
. He worked to become a teacher and taught at schools in Baja
Baja, Hungary
Baja is a city in , southern Hungary. It is the second largest city in the county, after the county seat at Kecskemét, and is home to around 37,000 people....
(1905 – 1906), Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
(1906–1908), Fogaras
Fagaras
Făgăraș is a city in central Romania, located in Braşov County . Another source of the name is alleged to derive from the Hungarian language word for "partridge" . A more plausible explanation is that the name is given by Fogaras river coming from the Pecheneg "Fagar šu", which means ash water...
(1908 – 1911), Újpest
Újpest
Újpest may refer to:*Újpest, a district of Budapest, Hungary.*Újpest FC, a football team based in Újpest....
(1911), and 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...
(1912 – 1918).
His reputation for his poems in the literary life started in 1908.
He made a trip to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the same year, which made him interested in Dante
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
; he made several other trips in later years. This experience led him to translate Dante's Divine Comedy (Hell, 1913, Purgatory, 1920, and Paradise, 1923).
Briefly after the Hungarian Revolution of 1919 he became a Professor of Foreign Literature and modern Hungarian literature at Eötvös Loránd University, but was soon removed for his pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
after the revolutionary government fell.
In 1911, he became a staff writer on the magazine Nyugat
Nyugat
Nyugat , was the most influential Hungarian literary journal in the first half of the 20th century. Writers and poets from that era are referred to as "1st/2nd/3rd generation of the NYUGAT"....
.
In 1921 married Ilona Tanner, who later published poetry under the name Sophie Török. Two years later he moved to Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
. In 1927 he became a member of the Kisfaludy Társaság (Kisfaludy Society) and in the same year he was made a trustee of the Baumgarten Prize
Baumgarten Prize
The Baumgarten Prize was founded by Ferenc Ferdinánd Baumgarten on October 17, 1923. It was awarded every year from 1929 to 1949...
.
He became the editor-in-chief of Nyugat in 1929 (sharing the role until 1933 with Zsigmond Móricz
Zsigmond Móricz
Zsigmond Móricz was a major Hungarian novelist and Social Realist. He was among the earliest significant literary figures writing in Hungarian.- Early life and education :...
), a position he held until his death.
In 1937, he was diagnosed as having laryngeal cancer. He died in Budapest in 1941.
Work
Babits is best known for his lyric poetryLyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
, influenced by classical and English forms. He also wrote essays and translated much from English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and Latin.