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István Örkény

Author profile

born

in Budapest, Hungary

April 05, 1912

died

June 24, 1979

gender

male

genre

Literature & Fiction, Short Stories

About this author

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István Örkény was a Hungarian writer. A typical feature of his plays and novels is satiric view and creation of grotesque situations.

Born in Budapest, the son of a pharmacist, Örkény studied chemical engineering after leaving school and then turned to pharmacy, graduating from Budapest University in 1934. He travelled to London in 1938 and lived in Paris from casual work in 1939. In 1940, he continued his studies at Budapest Technical University, where he graduated in chemical engineering. He was sent to the front on labour service in 1942 and taken prisoner of war in 1943. On his return to Hungary in 1946, he worked as a drama editor for a theatre company. In 1954, he began working as an outside editor for the Szépirodalmi (Literary) publi...more István Örkény was a Hungarian writer. A typical feature of his plays and novels is satiric view and creation of grotesque situations.

Born in Budapest, the son of a pharmacist, Örkény studied chemical engineering after leaving school and then turned to pharmacy, graduating from Budapest University in 1934. He travelled to London in 1938 and lived in Paris from casual work in 1939. In 1940, he continued his studies at Budapest Technical University, where he graduated in chemical engineering. He was sent to the front on labour service in 1942 and taken prisoner of war in 1943. On his return to Hungary in 1946, he worked as a drama editor for a theatre company. In 1954, he began working as an outside editor for the Szépirodalmi (Literary) publishing company. Although Örkény attempted to meet the requirements of the officially sanctioned Socialist Realism, his short story 'Violet Ink' was attacked by the ideologue József Révai. Örkény took part in the opposition meetings of writers. On September 17, 1956, at the general assembly of the Writers' Union where the first secret elections were held since 1948, Örkény was among the party and non-party opposition writers elected onto a new board. When the revolution broke out, he phrased a statement condemning the role hitherto played by the radio, in which the following sentence became a household word: 'We have lied by night, we have lied by day, we have lied on every wavelength.' He took part in workers' council meetings with Tibor Déry. On November 10, he and fellow writers Déry, Gyula Illyés, László Benjámin and Zoltán Zelk sought asylum at the Polish Embassy in Budapest, but they were only offered temporary refuge and left the building after a few hours. As a member and interpreter for the Writers' Union delegation, he met with K.P.S. Menon, the Indian ambassador in Budapest, whom they sought as an intermediary between Hungary and the Soviet Union. He and five associates signed an open letter of self-criticism, which appeared in September 1957, in the first issue of the literary journal Kortárs (Contemporary), covering their conduct before and during the revolution. However, he was squeezed out of the literary scene in 1957 and subjected to several publication bans. Örkény worked from 1958 to 1963 at the United Pharmaceutical and Nutriment Factory. In the second half of the 1960s, his books were allowed to appear again and his plays were performed. In 1966, his book The Princess of Jerusalem appeared, including his first cycle of 'one-minute' stories and his novella 'Cat's Play'. His absurd drama The Tót Family was a huge success in 1967.(less)

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István Örkény's Books

Average rating: 4.26 · 443 ratings · 26 reviews · 34 distinct works · Similar authors

	Egyperces novellák 4.37 of 5 stars 4.37 avg rating — 248 ratings — published 1968 — 19 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tóték 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 74 ratings — published 1974 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Flower Show and the Toth Family 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 39 ratings — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	More One Minute Stories 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2006	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tóték; Macskajáték 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2004	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rózsakiállítás: regény 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 1977	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Válogatott Kisregények 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2005	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Floralies by István Örkény, Jean-Michel Kalmbach (Traduction) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1994	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Levelek egypercben: levelek, emlékezések, interjúk a hagyatékból 4.5 of 5 stars 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1992	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kočičí hra 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1977	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by István Örkény

“Sajnos, én sohasem követtem el hibákat; életem téli álom volt, mert féltem a hidegtől.”
― István Örkény, Tóték; Macskajáték

tags: macskajáték

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