The Desert of Love: János Pilinszky and World Literature Cover Image

A szerelem sivataga. Pilinszky és a világirodalom
The Desert of Love: János Pilinszky and World Literature

Author(s): Dorottya Szávai
Subject(s): Hungarian Literature
Published by: Korunk Baráti Társaság
Keywords: East Central Europe; intertextuality; minor literature; transnational literature; world literature studies

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the embeddedness of János Pilinszky's work (poetry and journalism) in world literature, and on the integrative, intercultural mediating role of his work, which has so far been only partially discussed by the reception. Seen from this angle, the oeuvre is essentially a European-scale, intercultural, transnational oeuvre, embedded in world literature. The paper analyses also the (East-)Central European references in Pilinszky’s texts, highlighting his interest towards marginality in a broad sense, this interest being reflected most importantly in the author’s rhetorical strategies, in the language of his poetry. The idea of the ‘European’ is also present in Pilinszky’s essays, and it is mediated, the article argues, through the idea of evangelical aesthetics.

  • Issue Year: 2022
  • Issue No: 11
  • Page Range: 37-45
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Hungarian