CHAPTER III

Bibliography

The best monograph on the era of the Reformation is J. Hováth’s A reformáció jegyében (1953, 2nd ed. 1957). On the early Hungarian prose, I. Nemeskürty: A magyar széppróza születése (1963). On the Toldi saga, E. Kerékgyártó: ‘Toldi in Life and Legend, (Hungarian Quarterly, 1941). On Balassi S. Eckhardt is the authority. His biography, Balassi Bálint (1941), is a standard work. His latest studies were published in Balassi tanulmányok (1972). J. Reményi’s Three Hungarian Poets (Washington, 1955) is a poor attempt to present the life and works of Balassi to the English reader and includes some specimens of his poetry in rather mediocre translations. G. Gömöri’s lucid essay ‘Baroque Elements in the Poetry of M. S. Szarzyński and B. Balassi’ (Slavonic and East European Review, 1968) is well documented.

Texts

A good contemporary selection from Bornemisza is edited by I. Nemeskürty: Válogatott írások (1955). There are translations of D. Csáti’s ‘Conquest of Pannonia’ and ‘Szilágyi and Hajmási’ in J. Bowring’s Poetry of the Magyars (1830), the latter being reprinted in vol. 5 of R. Garnett’s International Library of Famous Literature (1899) under the title: ‘Ballad of the Emperor’s Daughter’. Tinódi was lucky to have W. D. Snodgrass as the translator of his ‘All Sorts of Drunkards’ (New Hungarian Quarterly, 1970). George Borrow also made some spirited Tinódi translations. G. Borrow: The Ballads of All Nations (1927), and vol. 9 of The Norwich Edition of the Works of George Borrow (Norwich, 1924).

The critical edition of Balassi was published by S. Eckhardt (2 vols., 1951-5). Echkardt also published a ‘popular’ edition based on the critical edition including the hitherto unpublished Szép magyar comoedia (1961). There are few adequate translations of Balassi in English. Attempts were made by W. Kirkconnell in his Magyar Muse (Winnipeg, 1933). A good translation by W. D. Snodgrass in New Hungarian Quarterly (1970). A small selection of Balassi’s poems is available in French in the excellent Anthologie de la poésie hongroise, ed. by L. Gara (1962).