P ter Esterh zy

Péter Esterházy (born April 14, 1950) is one of the most widely known contemporary Hungarian writers. His books are considered to be significant contributions to postwar literature.

He studied mathematics at ELTE university in Budapest from 1969 to 1974; his first writings were published in literary journals in 1974. He worked as a mathematician from 1974 to 1978, and he became a freelance writer in 1978.

Esterházy, the scion of an aristocratic family that traces its roots to the 12th century (see Esterházy), is best known for Celestial Harmonies (2000) which chronicles his forefathers' epic rise during the Austro-Hungarian empire -- when Haydn composed music at the family palace -- to its dispossession under communism.

His next (and, as of 2004, latest) novel, Revised Edition (2002), which appeared as an "appendix" to the former, was born from the shock when he learnt that his father was an informer in the the secret police of the Communist era. The book deals with the research work as a diary, his father's unfolding activity, and the very process of his facing and digesting the facts.

His works have been published in more than 20 languages. He has won almost every literary distinction in Hungary, including the prestigious Kossuth Prize in 1996, and has received awards for his work in France, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Norway.

Contents

His works published in English

(The dates refer to the English-language publications.)

  • Helping Verbs of the Heart (1990, 1991, 1996)
  • The Transporters (1991, 1994)
  • The Book of Hrabal (1993, 1994, 1996)
  • The Glance of Countess Hahn-Hahn (Down the Danube) (1994, 1998, 1999)
  • She loves me (1994, 1997, 1998)
  • A Little Hungarian Pornography (1995, 1997)
  • Celestial Harmonies : A Novel (2004)

International awards

  • Vilenica Prize, Slovenia (1988, 1998)
  • Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (1992, 1994, 2003)
  • Prize of the Literary Festival in Rome, Italy (1993)
  • Björnson Prize, Norway (1995)
  • Austrian State Prize, Austria (1999)
  • Herder Prize, Austria (2002)
  • German Book Trade Association's Peace Prize at Frankfurt Book Fair (2004)

Besides, he has received nearly 20 awards in his native country.

Membership

  • Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (Darmstadt)
  • Akademie der Künste (Berlin)
  • Académie Européenne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres

About him

"Esterhazy's prose is jumpy, allusive, and slangy. ...there is vividness, an electric crackle. The sentences are active and concrete. Physical details leap from the murk of emotional ambivalence." (John Updike, The New Yorker)

External links

de:Péter Esterházy hu:Esterházy Péter




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