Hungarian Literature as a Vast Treasure Chest

In an interview with prae.hu, Dániel Levente Pál, General Manager of the Petőfi Literary Fund, offered a few reflections on his approach to the work of the Fund. “For several years now, I have been engaged in the serious and methodical study of the various ways in which Hungarian literature has made a presence for itself abroad. I have read every chart and every report, and I have spoken with several hundred people in depth on the subject, and I came, in the end, to a very simple realization. The authors whose works are translated and to whom invitations are extended to take part in events abroad win this distinction because they make active efforts to earn it. The world is not this simple, of course, but neither one can always merely point a reproachful finger and say, ‘oh yes, them again.’ I believe in the culture of ‘those who help themselves,’ a culture in which the state does not solve the problem for the writer (does not guarantee recognition and esteem), but rather provides assistance, support, even motivation, and helps facilitate when necessary.”

The entire interview is available in Hungarian here.