Starting in school, we, Hungarians read a decent amount of foreign literature. Many cultures have had an influence on what we call our literature and literary knowledge, but it is time to ask the question: Where is the place of Hungarian literature in the world?
A big obstacle in the way of Hungarian writings towards fame on an international level might be the fact that the language is only spoken by roughly 14 million people- not too much. If this would not be enough, Magyar, or Hungarian, is very different from other European languages.
As a consequence, the only way to introduce our literature to other nations is through translation, particularly by ones in English. Unfortunately, the number of translated works is small compared to the vastness of Hungarian literary treasures and even these are not well-known.
I wish I was capable of translating poems, short stories, plays and novels! Since I lack those skills, I will introduce the ones that others, much more talented than me, have already translated. If everything goes the way I planned, soon all students will be familiar with Hungarian literature. Okay, probably I should not pursue such wild dreams, but it would be great, wouldn't it?
I look forward to your posts, since yes, it would be great. For non-students, too. I've only recently begun to delve into Hungarian literature (with several more works lined up for this year) and love what I've found so far. Thanks!
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