A Hollóidő üzenete
The Message of Hollóidő

Summary/Abstract: István Szilágyi, a native and also current resident, of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca), is an outstanding master of Hungarian prose. He attained international recognition with his 1975 novel Kő hull apadó kútba (Stones Falling Down a Dying Well). His next novel, Agancsbozót (Antler Thicket, 1990) proved to be less successful, while the third one, Hollóidő (Age of the Raven), published in 2001, earned the author the Kossuth Prize, the highest award given to artists in Hungary. Set in the late 16th century, Hollóidő guides us to an imaginary town called Revek located in southern Hungary and dominated by the Ottoman Empire. The main characters of the novel are pastor Lukács Terebi, the town’s enigmatic schoolmaster, Illés Fortuna, and an even more mysterious youth, the Student, whose real name is never revealed, but about whom the novel suggests that his father must be Master Fortuna. Through these three characters, the author illustrates three patterns of human behavior. Pastor Terebi symbolizes the acquiescence to foreign domination while Master Fortuna advocates the armed fight against it.However, neither of them seems to achieve much. Acquiescence does not pacify the enemy, while violence only breeds violence. We conform to the oppressors even when we rebel against them. The young boy’s struggle to become an educated, free thinker seems to be more fruitful, but we do not know if it is really successful. However, one thing seems certain: being able to rule one’sown realm, however small it may be, is of vital importance to men.

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