A virágkertész és a szellemíró. Majthényi Flóra esete a Virágcsokorral
The Editor and the Ghostwriter. Flóra Majthényi and the Periodical Virágcsokor

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines an extremely short-lived periodical titled Virágcsokor (Bouquet of Flowers, 1862) and the editors behind its production, Flóra Majthényi (1837–1915) and later, as ghostwriter, Lajos Urváry (1841–1890). The article begins with an assessment of Majthény’s life and poetic output over the course of her career, in order to address the fundamental questions about her decision to take on the editorial role. The study argues that Flóra Majthényi's editorial involvement was a truly remarkable endeavour because of the very fact that she saw a market niche. Nevertheless, her concept of a magazine for adolescent girls was pioneering but ultimately premature. Based on a close reading of the journal and the surviving correspondence of some of Majthényi’s contemporaries, this study provides evidence that although the periodical was published under her name, Majthényi in fact made a negligible contribution to the journal, leaving the editorial tasks to her male colleague, Lajos Urváry. Her case study highlights the limitations of the ʻeditor’ as a unifying concept for a periodical produced through an apparent female editorship mediated by a strong male presence.

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