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Béla Hamvas’s Followers (103)

Béla Hamvas

Born

in Eperjes (Prešov)

March 23, 1897

Died

November 07, 1968

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

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Béla Hamvas was born in 23 March 1897 in Eperjes (Prešov). His father, József Hamvas was an evangelical pastor, teacher of German and Hungarian, journalist and writer. The family moved to Bratislava in 1898, where Hamvas completes his basic studies in 1915. After graduation, like his classmates, he entered voluntary military service and was sent to the front in Ukraine. He is sent back to Budapest for hospital treatment due to severe traumatic shock, but just after recovery, he's being drafted to the front lines to western Italy. He never reaches the battlefield, as his train was hit by a bombshell, wounding Hamvas, who was discharged.

In 1919 his father refuses to take an oath of allegiance to Czechoslovakia, whereby his family was expelled Béla Hamvas was born in 23 March 1897 in Eperjes (Prešov). His father, József Hamvas was an evangelical pastor, teacher of German and Hungarian, journalist and writer. The family moved to Bratislava in 1898, where Hamvas completes his basic studies in 1915. After graduation, like his classmates, he entered voluntary military service and was sent to the front in Ukraine. He is sent back to Budapest for hospital treatment due to severe traumatic shock, but just after recovery, he's being drafted to the front lines to western Italy. He never reaches the battlefield, as his train was hit by a bombshell, wounding Hamvas, who was discharged.

In 1919 his father refuses to take an oath of allegiance to Czechoslovakia, whereby his family was expelled from Bratislava. They move to Budapest, where Hamvas attends Péter Pázmány University. Upon graduation he became a journalist at the newspapers Budapesti Hírlap and Szózat. Hamvas considered this job shallow and humiliating, but he had to support his family (his father was pensioned in 1924). Three years later he quits, as he finds a better job in the main library of Budapest. He is appointed as a senior librarian in 1927. By this time he is writing articles, reviews and essays for 25 different journals. He marries Ilona Angyal in 1929, but divorces in 1936 to marry Katalin Kemény in 1937. She was her partner in founding the Sziget circle, a literary group which later gains prominent members like Antal Szerb, László Németh, or Antal Molnár.

Nearly 20 years of library work is ended by World War II. Hamvas was drafted for military service three times. He continues his literary work while on the front lines - translating Laozi and Heraclitus among others. His first essay collection is published in 1943.

The couple survives the siege of Budapest. Their apartment is hit by bombing, destroying his library and manuscripts. Despite the Soviet siege and numerous harassment by authorities, 1945-1947 are his most fruitful years.

In 1948 he was placed on the b-list (interdiction from publishing) by the newly elected communist government, and was forced into retirement from his library job. While he published more than 250 works before his interdiction, most larger body of Hamvas's work was written anonymously later on. He gets licence to farm in the garden of his brother-in-law in Szentendre, and is tending plants between 1948-1951, in which time he also completes Karnevál, one of his major essay.

Between 1961-1964 he is employed as an unskilled worker in power plant buildings in Tiszapalkonya, Inota and Bokod, under harsh conditions. Whenever he has spare time, he translates from Sanskrit, Hebrew and Greek, and writes about the Cabala, Zen, and Sufism. Between 1959 and 1966 he completes Patmosz, his last major work.

Aged 67, he finally manages to get permission for pension. Béla Hamvas dies in 1968 in brain hemorrhage. He was buried in Szentendre.

In 1990 he receives the Kossuth Prize posthumously. ...more

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Average rating: 4.22 · 1,684 ratings · 120 reviews · 101 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Philosophy of Wine 3.80 avg rating — 535 ratings — published 1989 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Scientia Sacra 4.52 avg rating — 140 ratings — published 1988 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Księga gaju laurowego i inne eseje by Béla Hamvas, Teresa Worowska (Translator) 4.17 avg rating — 92 ratings — published 1993 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Karnevál 4.65 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 1985 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Câu chuyện vô hình & Đảo by Béla Hamvas, Nguyễn Hồng Nhung (Translator) 4.11 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 1988 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Anthologia Humana: Wisdom of Five Thousand Years 4.56 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1946 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Nevidljivo zbivanje 4.72 avg rating — 46 ratings — published 2004	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Jasmin i maslina by Béla Hamvas, Jadranka Damjanov (Translator), Ivan Ladislav Galeta (Translator) 4.66 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 1999	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Sto knjiga by Béla Hamvas, Sava Babić (Translator) 4.05 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 1945 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Silentium 4.49 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 1999 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Béla Hamvas (?)

“Don Quijotéról azt terjesztették, hogy irreális és individualista és idealista és fantaszta, szemben Sancho Panzával, aki józan és reális, szóval olyan ember, mint a többi. Don Quijote az az ember, aki a közösségből kiszakadt. Outsider lett. Egyedül maradt, Hamlettel, magányosan, autoritás nélkül, mint kétszáz évvel később Kierkegaard mondta, nem volt tekintettel a többségre, mondván, hogy az igazságot nem a szavazatok többsége dönti el. A többség mindössze annyit jelent, hogy a becsapottak többen vannak.”
― Béla Hamvas, Arkhai

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“NIETZSCHE szerint, amit az ember másnak hazudik, elenyésző semmiség amellett, amit az ember önmagának hazudik.”
― Béla Hamvas

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“Az első különbség, amit meg kell tenni, az a kiszolgáló és a szellemi mű között van. A kiszolgáló mű az, amit általában nem-irodalomnak szoktak nevezni. Fő tulajdonsága, hogy kiszolgál. A közönségízlést puhatolja és elégíti ki. Nem kell okvetlenül giccsnek lennie, ha többnyire az is. Szórakoztató irodalomnak is mondják. A különbség a kiszolgáló és a szellemi mű között az, hogy más a műben levő igény. A szellemi mű igénye szellemi, a kiszolgáló mű igénye, hogy kiszolgáljon. Főképpen a divatot, de nem mindig és feltétlenül azt. A divatot csinálhatja is, de akkor is az új divat iránt való igényt szolgálja ki. A kasszadarab, a könyvsiker típusa. Tévedés volna azt hinni, hogy hatását ki lehet számítani. A szellemi igény könnyebben kiszámítható, mint a tömeghangulat. De a mű minősége nem azon múlik, hogy mennyire találta el a tömeg ízlését, hanem azon, hogy alárendeli magát, vagyis: szolgál.”
― Béla Hamvas

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Béla Hamvas’s Followers (103)

Béla Hamvas

Combine EditionsBéla Hamvas’s books

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Combine Editions
Béla Hamvas’s books