On the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the birth of János Oláh, winner of Hungary's Laurel Wreath and József Attila and Sándor Márai award, Irodalmi Magazin commemorates the author with a conference and issue. The beginning of János Oláh's career is connected with the anthology of the Nine poets' group Elérhettelen föld (1969), and his first book of poems, Fordulópont (1972), was followed by his novels: Télö (1977), Visszatérés (1979), Az őrült (1983). In addition to the stories ( Az Örvényes partján ‒ 1988; Blood Contract ‒ 2001; Száműzöt történetek ‒ 2011), Kenyérpusztítók (1993), but he also wrote an audio play, screenplay and essay. His timeless work as an editor, literary organizer and talent nurturer: from 1994 until his death, in 2016, as the editor-in-chief of Magyar Napló and Irodalmi Magazin, and as the head of the book publishing house, he helped numerous writers, poets and editors start their careers and develop professionally.
The goal of the conference is to approach this complex oeuvre from new directions and widen the interpretation horizon of the reception. Katalin Mezey, János Oláh's widow, will open the meeting, followed by a round table discussion with the participation of literary historians Bertha Zoltán, Zoltán Jánosi and poet István Kovács, a former colleague. The speakers of the first section of the conference examine the complexity and poetic language layers of the lyrical oeuvre, as well as possible source regions, while the second section deals with the writer's short stories and the prose-poetic characteristics of the novel Close The speakers of the third session review the work of literary organizer and dramatist János Oláh, as well as the development history of the reception of his oeuvre. The written versions of the lectures will be read in this year's fourth issue of the Literary Magazine, entitled János Oláh, which will be published on November 24, the anniversary of the author's birth.
Location: Károli Gáspár Reformed University, Faculty of Arts, Buda Béla Room (Díszterem)
Date: September 2, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m
Magyar Napló Publishing House
Image: Wikimedia (CC)
