The Seven-Headed Fairy
Lázár’s book The Seven-Headed Fairy (A hétfejű tündér, 1973) is a collection of twenty three children stories. They include traditional elements of folk tales combined with magic realism and puns. Lázár’s original style includes his specific way of addressing the readers, extensive and original vocabulary as well as extraordinary main heroes including a Nailfail, two Mornings or a number of completely made-up characters. A hétfejű tündér has been published eight times by two publishers and transformed into several theatrical adaptations and cartoons.
Ervin Lázár (1936 – 2006) was a Hungarian writer, editor and famous storyteller. After graduating from university (journalism and Hungarian language) he worked for a number of newspapers as both a reporter and an editor. Since 1971, after publishing his first and only novel, he had worked as a freelance writer and became incredibly popular as a storyteller. He brought an innovatory voice in children’s literature and received the Kossuth Price for his contribution to Hungarian literary canon. He had published nearly twenty books, some of them have been adapted to the stage or translated into various languages.