Márton Kalász, Kossuth Prize winner and two-time József Attila Prize winner, poet, writer, literary translator, university professor, regular member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA), artist of the nation, died at the age of 87, MMA told MTI.
Márton Kalász died on Thursday in Budapest. The creator is considered MMA's own dead.
Márton Kalász was born on September 8, 1934 as Márton Krisztmann in Sombere, Baranya County. He only spoke German until he was ten years old. "I am both German and Hungarian at the same time. I have a mother tongue, German, and I have a spiritual mother tongue and habitus that connects me with Hungarian culture," he testified.
His adherence to his German roots accompanied him throughout his life: he translated and proofread German texts, visited Berlin several times as a scholarship holder, worked as an employee of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Berlin (1971-1974) and as the director of the Hungarian Cultural and Information Center in Stuttgart (1990-1994).
Photo: Noémi Bruzák/MTI
