Bánffy Miklós – a modern ember
Miklós Bánffy – A Modern Man

Summary/Abstract: Miklós Bánffy began publishing his trilogy in 1934, completing the third and final volume in 1940. The work belongs to a larger corpus of literature depicting the twilight of the world before the First World War – alongside authors such as Robert Musil, Arthur Schnitzler, Joseph Roth, and Thomas Mann. Around the year 2000, Bánffy’s trilogy enjoyed what can only be described as worldwide success, with numerous translations and re-editions. What explains this belated acclaim, and the lack of interest in the years immediately following the Second World War? Bánffy was a cultural figure fully integrated into the contemporaneity of the first half of the 20th century – neither behind his time, nor overtly prophetic. His perceptions were characteristic of a member of the cultural elite. He was an admirer of the avant-garde, indifferent to the eclecticism of the fin de siècle, and showed little appreciation for the Baroque. When he attended a high-society ball in Budapest, held in one of the most sumptuous interiors of late eclecticism, he made no aesthetic comment. Similarly, in describing the Baroque palace of Bonțida/Bonchida – one of the principal “characters” of his novel – his remarks remained restrained. His aesthetic sensibilities were those of a modern man. This is evident in the way he described the Reformed Church of Bonțida: a medieval church stripped to its essence after the Reformation, seen through the eye of a “cubist” architect. His connections with figures of the cultural avant-garde are well known: he was a close friend and collaborator of Károly Kós, and he strongly supported Béla Bartók at a time when the composer had not yet achieved renown. The absence of sentimental nostalgia and his distinctly modern aesthetic gaze explain both the neglect of the novel in the decades after its publication and its later success, when attention turned to Bánffy himself. In this light, his modernity becomes strikingly evident

• Details
• Contents