Egy magyar kószáló franciaországi útleírása
Account of a Hungarian Wanderer’s Journey in France

Fragmentariness and mosaic features in the work French Variations by Gyula Illyés

Summary/Abstract: In 1947 Gyula Illyés went to France twice. He spent five weeks in Paris at the beginning of the year, and then travelled to southern France in November. He recorded his two journeys in a travelogue. This study deals with his days in Paris written about in his work Franciaországi változatok (French Variations). The characteristics of this travelogue is that it is a collection of texts of various styles and mosaic-like features: it mixes essays and actual travel descriptions, most of it are strolling around descriptions. The structure of the work’s timeline is also intermittent, and there are many ellipses and omissions at the time of narration. The entire travelogue is imbued by the aesthetic of a wanderer. Descriptions and figures of strollers became popular in the 19th century when a new “landscape”, that of the city, appeared. Illyés’ work is not simply strolling descriptions, but the fragmentariness of the work’s form, even with the interruptions and omissions, visualises strolling. Thus, the work sets the stage for the act of walking not only on the content level but also in its form.

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