Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948

This article is the first part of a series of publications on Arthur Koestler’s reception in Hungary during its transition to Communism. Given the author’s iconic status as an anti-Communist writer, it is reasonable to suppose that his texts would have been banned and his name rarely uttered, mu...

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Main Author: Zénó Vernyik
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Scientia Publishing House 2023-11-01
Series:Acta Universitatis Sapientiae: Philologica
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Online Access:https://acta.sapientia.ro/content/docs/9-595701.pdf
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author Zénó Vernyik
author_facet Zénó Vernyik
author_sort Zénó Vernyik
collection DOAJ
description This article is the first part of a series of publications on Arthur Koestler’s reception in Hungary during its transition to Communism. Given the author’s iconic status as an anti-Communist writer, it is reasonable to suppose that his texts would have been banned and his name rarely uttered, much less printed, in Hungary before the 1989 regime change. It is thus not surprising that this view is virtually uncontested by scholars both in Hungary and beyond. Yet, as shown here on the basis of thirtyone articles published between April 1945 and June 1948 in Hungarian dailies, journals, and magazines, at least in this early and transitional period, Koestler’s writing is not only frequently mentioned but actively discussed. Furthermore, through a closer analysis of the contents of these texts, five specific categories of mentions are identified: (1) Koestler cited as a journalist reporting on contemporary events; (2) his opinion quoted as that of an authority figure; (3) polemics towards Koestler’s views; (4) reports on the foreign reception of Hungarian literature, including Koestler; and (5) Koestler used as a public scapegoat.
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spelling doaj-art-2bc74516d4264cbdb4c5c32ef44cf8fe2025-08-20T03:15:37ZdeuScientia Publishing HouseActa Universitatis Sapientiae: Philologica2067-51512068-29562023-11-0115112614910.2478/ausp-2023-0009Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948Zénó Vernyik0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6025-2881Technical University of LiberecThis article is the first part of a series of publications on Arthur Koestler’s reception in Hungary during its transition to Communism. Given the author’s iconic status as an anti-Communist writer, it is reasonable to suppose that his texts would have been banned and his name rarely uttered, much less printed, in Hungary before the 1989 regime change. It is thus not surprising that this view is virtually uncontested by scholars both in Hungary and beyond. Yet, as shown here on the basis of thirtyone articles published between April 1945 and June 1948 in Hungarian dailies, journals, and magazines, at least in this early and transitional period, Koestler’s writing is not only frequently mentioned but actively discussed. Furthermore, through a closer analysis of the contents of these texts, five specific categories of mentions are identified: (1) Koestler cited as a journalist reporting on contemporary events; (2) his opinion quoted as that of an authority figure; (3) polemics towards Koestler’s views; (4) reports on the foreign reception of Hungarian literature, including Koestler; and (5) Koestler used as a public scapegoat.https://acta.sapientia.ro/content/docs/9-595701.pdfarthur koestlerreceptionhungary1940scommunism
spellingShingle Zénó Vernyik
Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
Acta Universitatis Sapientiae: Philologica
arthur koestler
reception
hungary
1940s
communism
title Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
title_full Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
title_fullStr Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
title_full_unstemmed Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
title_short Not Only by Accident. Arthur Koestler’s Reception in Post-war Hungary, 1945–1948
title_sort not only by accident arthur koestler s reception in post war hungary 1945 1948
topic arthur koestler
reception
hungary
1940s
communism
url https://acta.sapientia.ro/content/docs/9-595701.pdf
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