Mario Szenessy
Encyclopedia
Mario Szenessy was a Hungarian-German author
, translator, and literary critic.
in a multiethnic, multilingual environment. In 1942 he moved to Szeged
, Hungary where he studied Slavic and German language
s and discovered the writings of Kafka and Thomas Mann
. He became a school teacher and also taught Russian
at the Medical Academy (today Szeged University). Based on his writings about Thomas Mann he received a grant by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
and thus came to the University of Tübingen in 1963 where he worked on Mann's novella Die Betrogene. Later, he moved to Berlin. Encouraged by Inge and Walter Jens
, Szenessy started to write in German and published his first book in 1967, Verwandlungskünste. Marcel Reich-Ranicki
thereafter wrote: „He who is not a German writes an much better German than almost all who publish books in Germany…. bitter, sarcastic, and full of temperament, sharp, springy and lapidary.“ As Szenessy’s books failed to gain a wider audience, he also started to write critics and translations. Eventually, he decided to start an education as a librarian
. In 1971, Szenessy received the Hermann-Hesse-Preis
for his novel Lauter falsche Pässe oder Die Erinnerungen des Roman Skorzeny.
Mario Szenessy died from a bronchial carcinoma in Pinneberg in 1976.
called him a „new, wonderful narrator”. When, however, he made literary concessions to gain a greater audience, critics bemoaned this development. Yet, „remarkable remains Szenessy’s art to so completely enter into the German language that it had become finally his home.“ He always tried to popularize East-European literature in Germany; especially the Hungarian authors György Konrád
and Tibor Déry
he made more familiar with translations as well as a monograph
.
In his novel Lauter falsche Pässe (1971), Szenessy stylized the image of the typical entertainment novel by treating the genre in a sarcastic fashion thus transferring it into a work of art. In the book the author receives a manuscript that represents an autobiography of Roman Szorzeny. Skorzeny recalls how after falsifying stamps, he proceeds to manufacture the accompanying letters, and then the related biographies. „The text demonstrates the patterns of a fascinating narration whereby the fist name of the fictitious author (- In German Roman also means novel -) indicates that in this book the subject is the novel per se. Presented are the political thriller, the espionage and criminal novel, sailors’ yarn and Anglo romantic accounts of mail coach robberies. The introduction is a parody of the classical Bildungsroman
and cites existing travesty in literature. The genre of the trivial novel presents itself as a novel in all its forms as if to prove that the novel is just not a lower art form. “
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:...
, translator, and literary critic.
Biography
Mario Szenessy grew up in the VojvodinaVojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
in a multiethnic, multilingual environment. In 1942 he moved to 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....
, Hungary where he studied Slavic and German language
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....
s and discovered the writings of Kafka and Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
. He became a school teacher and also taught Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
at the Medical Academy (today Szeged University). Based on his writings about Thomas Mann he received a grant by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
and thus came to the University of Tübingen in 1963 where he worked on Mann's novella Die Betrogene. Later, he moved to Berlin. Encouraged by Inge and Walter Jens
Walter Jens
Walter Jens is a German philologist, literature historian, critic, university professor, and writer.In the early 1940s, Jens joined the NSDAP. He denies having applied for membership actively and claims having been forced to join the party...
, Szenessy started to write in German and published his first book in 1967, Verwandlungskünste. Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki is a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the literary group Gruppe 47. He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and therefore was in Germany often called the 'Pope of literature' .-Life:Marcel...
thereafter wrote: „He who is not a German writes an much better German than almost all who publish books in Germany…. bitter, sarcastic, and full of temperament, sharp, springy and lapidary.“ As Szenessy’s books failed to gain a wider audience, he also started to write critics and translations. Eventually, he decided to start an education as a librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
. In 1971, Szenessy received the Hermann-Hesse-Preis
Hermann-Hesse-Preis
Hermann-Hesse-Preis is a literary prize of Germany....
for his novel Lauter falsche Pässe oder Die Erinnerungen des Roman Skorzeny.
Mario Szenessy died from a bronchial carcinoma in Pinneberg in 1976.
Work
Szenessy wrote in the epic tradition of Thomas Mann, his literary role model, and his first book received highly favorable critiques. Thus the Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche Zeitung
The Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
called him a „new, wonderful narrator”. When, however, he made literary concessions to gain a greater audience, critics bemoaned this development. Yet, „remarkable remains Szenessy’s art to so completely enter into the German language that it had become finally his home.“ He always tried to popularize East-European literature in Germany; especially the Hungarian authors György Konrád
György Konrád
György Konrád is a Hungarian novelist and essayist, known as an advocate of individual freedom. He was a dissident under the communist regime.- Life :...
and Tibor Déry
Tibor Dery
Tibor Déry was a Hungarian writer. In his early years he was a supporter of communism, but after being excluded from the ranks of the Hungarian Communist Party in 1953 he started writing satire on the communist regime in Hungary.Georg Lukács praised Dery as being 'the greatest depicter of human...
he made more familiar with translations as well as a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
.
In his novel Lauter falsche Pässe (1971), Szenessy stylized the image of the typical entertainment novel by treating the genre in a sarcastic fashion thus transferring it into a work of art. In the book the author receives a manuscript that represents an autobiography of Roman Szorzeny. Skorzeny recalls how after falsifying stamps, he proceeds to manufacture the accompanying letters, and then the related biographies. „The text demonstrates the patterns of a fascinating narration whereby the fist name of the fictitious author (- In German Roman also means novel -) indicates that in this book the subject is the novel per se. Presented are the political thriller, the espionage and criminal novel, sailors’ yarn and Anglo romantic accounts of mail coach robberies. The introduction is a parody of the classical Bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
and cites existing travesty in literature. The genre of the trivial novel presents itself as a novel in all its forms as if to prove that the novel is just not a lower art form. “
Publications
- In Paris mit Jim. Stories with an afterword by Peter Wapnewski. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1977, ISBN 3-455-07589-4
- Der Hellseher. Novel. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1974, ISBN 3-455-07593-2
- Der Hut im Gras. Novel. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1973. ISBN 3-455-07591-6
- Lauter falsche Pässe oder Die Erinnerungen des Roman Skorzeny. Novel. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1971. ISBN 3-455-07590-8
- Tibor Déry. Monographie. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1970
- Otto, der Akrobat. Stories. S. Fischer, Frankfurt/M 1969
- Verwandlungskünste. Novel. S. Fischer, Frankfurt/M 1967
Translations from Hungarian to German
- György KonrádGyörgy KonrádGyörgy Konrád is a Hungarian novelist and essayist, known as an advocate of individual freedom. He was a dissident under the communist regime.- Life :...
: Der Besucher. Novel. Luchterhand, Darmstadt 1973, ISBN 3-472-86333-1 - György Konrád: Der Stadtgründer. Novel. List, München 1975, ISBN 3-471-77938-8
About Szenessy
- Otto F. Beer: Dieser Zauberlehrling bleibt bescheiden. In: Der TagesspiegelDer TagesspiegelDer Tagesspiegel is a classical liberal German daily newspaper...
October 20, 1974 - Marcel Reich-RanickiMarcel Reich-RanickiMarcel Reich-Ranicki is a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the literary group Gruppe 47. He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and therefore was in Germany often called the 'Pope of literature' .-Life:Marcel...
: Ein Neuankömmling betrachtet uns. Mario Szenessys bemerkenswerter Erzählungsband ,Otto der Akrobat’. In: Die ZeitDie ZeitDie Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
October 31, 1969 - Jochen Schmidt: Ein Parforceritt und allerlei literarische Zaubertricks. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungFrankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungThe Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
Ocktober 8, 1974 - Eugen Skasa-Weiß: Des Urknalls letzter Akt. In: Stuttgarter ZeitungStuttgarter ZeitungThe Stuttgarter Zeitung is a German-language daily newspaper edited in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a run of about 200,000 sold copies daily....
October 23, 1971 - Heinrich Vormweg: Geheimniskrämerei um einen falschen Schelm. Mario Szenessys Roman ,Lauter falsche Pässe’. In: Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche ZeitungThe Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
October 9/10, 1971 - Willi Winkler: Mario Szenessy. In: Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur – KLG. ISBN 978-3-88377-927-0