Sins and punishments

"Vilmos Ircsik's new volume contains analyses, essays, and studies on Hungarian, German, Austrian, and Russian literature - the fruit of the past twenty years. The basic principle of the selection made by the author is that the writings draw attention to unexplored or insufficiently developed themes, works, motifs, and undeservedly neglected authors. Thirteen of the twenty-five chapters of the collection deal with Hungarian literature. Of these, one deals with the influence of Bartók's music on Hungarian poetry, one each with Attila József and Sándor Márai, nine with contemporary authors, and one with the depiction of the fate of Germans in Hungary in our post-1945 literature. The nine chapters on contemporary Hungarian literature introduce five authors: we can look into the workshops of László Győrffy, József Demeter, Ottó Fenyvesi, Katalin Mezey, and János Oláh. The depiction of the fate of Germans in Hungary in our post-1945 literature is a real whitewash for our critical life. spot. Among the articles on contemporary German, Austrian and Russian literature, the chapter on Heinrich Böll stands out, which examines the famous writer's short stories and novels with Hungarian references. Also of literary historical interest are the four articles on Russian themes.