- György Spiró
György (George) Spiró (born
April 4 ,1946 ) is a dramatist, novelist and essayist who has emerged as one of post-warHungary 's most prominent literary figures.The son of an engineer from
Miskolc in eastern Hungary, he graduated in Hungarian and Slavic literature from theEötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in 1970, and completed additional studies in journalism and sociology. His earlier career was spent inradio journalism . More recently, in addition to his writing, he has been employed as Professor of Literature and Aesthetics at ELTE.His plays have won numerous awards, including several for best Hungarian drama of the year. A few of them are available in English translation. The best known one is "Chickenhead" (1986), an earthy and bitter drama of a young delinquent's disillusionment at the longed-for reunion with his drunken father. "Dramatic Exchange" described it as "widely considered to be the most important Hungarian play of the last 20 years."
His
avant-garde style, depicting coarse language and characters outside the pale of respectability, often dismayed more traditional Hungarian critics.His most recent work, and most ambitious creation to date, is an 800 page novel, "Fogság," (Captivity), published in 2005. Set in the
Roman Empire in the time of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, it follows the experiences of a Jewish wanderer named Uri. Spiró's earlier works eschewed Jewish themes, but in this work he returns to his ancestral roots.External links
* [http://mek.iif.hu/porta/szint/human/szepirod/modern/spiro/chicken.hun An English translation of the play "Chickenhead"]
* [http://www.fogsag.hu/sajtoszoba.htm Home page with reviews of the novel "Fogság," in Hungarian]
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