Abstract
In her article "Visions of Catastrophe in the Poetry of Miklós Radnóti" Zsuzsanna Ozsváth proposes that the poet's work shows an evolution of a set of visionary images auguring the Holocaust. This development followed on the heels of the poet's earlier interest in the socialist, populist, and left-oriented movements and ideas that drove a number of Hungarian artists and young intellectuals of the time. Immersed in social-cultural activities during his university years in Szeged (1930-35), Radnóti underwent a significant change when he moved back to Budapest. He recognized the threat posed by the Third Reich and watched with great consternation the involvement of a number of Hungarian intellectuals and politicians in rightist and anti-Semitic activities and propaganda. Responding to this development, he started to warn of the impending catastrophe and suggest the breakthrough of previously unimaginable forces in the world. Ozsváth's study of Radnóti's work reveals a frequency and intensity of these visions, connoting more than the poet's disagreement with contemporary political developments and his foresight of destruction and mass murder.
Recommended Citation
Ozsváth, Zsuzsanna.
"Visions of Catastrophe in the Poetry of Miklós Radnóti."
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
11.1
(2009):
<https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.1414>
This text has been double-blind peer reviewed by 2+1 experts in the field.
The above text, published by Purdue University Press ©Purdue University, has been downloaded 2494 times as of 03/26/24.