György Faludy

Fran ois Villon's poetic genius remains undisputed, and to this day he is considered one of the most important poets of medieval times. He has been translated into all major languages with varying success, and the critic Gy rgy B lint describes his tone as 'raw' and his words as 'compact, hard and folksy in a basic and robust way', thus not easy to translate. Gy rgy Faludy, one of several Hungarian translators, threw all conventions to the wind, and changed Villon's tone to what can only be described as 'talkative, smooth, emotional and piquant." Yet Faludy maintained that the spirit of Villon and his age have been retained. Although many English translations of Villon have been published, Faludy's unique version in English is now made available in the present translation by Iv n Kov cs, who is also known for having translated Attila J zsef's Suburban Night and other Poems.

Iloiset päivänäi helvetissä (1962) on György Faludyn karhean kaunis ja elämänjanoinen tarina hänen kamppailustaan sortoa ja epäoikeudenmukaisuutta vastaan. Vuonna 1938 runoilija Faludy valitsee pakolaisuuden niukkuuden ja pakenee fasisteja Unkarista unelmiensa Pariisiin. Ranskalaisten antautuessa natseille Faludyn pakomatka jatkuu Marokkoon ja edelleen Yhdysvaltoihin. Äidinkielen, kotimaan kaipuun ja idealismin ajamana hän palaa takaisin Unkariin - vain päätyäkseen vangituksi ja kidutetuksi ja lopulta vankileirille. Mutta hän on yksi harvoista joka selviää leiriltä hengissä. György Faludyn uskomaton moraali ja elämänhalu - hän ei suostu vajoamaan epätoivoon - 1900-luvun pahimpien murrosten keskellä tekevät tästä tarinasta kutkuttavan jännittävän lukukokemuksen.

My Happy Days in Hell (1962) is Gyorgy Faludy's grimly beautiful autobiography of his battle to survive tyranny and oppression. Fleeing Hungary in 1938 as the German army approaches, acclaimed poet Faludy journeys to Paris, where he finds a lover but merely a cursory asylum. When the French capitulate to the Nazis, Faludy travels to North Africa, then on to America, where he volunteers for military service. Missing his homeland and determined to do the right thing, he returns - only to be imprisoned, tortured, and slowly starved, eventually becoming one of only twenty-one survivors of his camp.