Willy Pogany

William Andrew ("Willy") Pogany (1882-1955) was a Hungarian prolific illustrator of children's and adult books. 

Born Vilmos Andreas Pogany in Szeged, Hungary.  He studied at Budapest Technical University and in Munich and Paris. [ [http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv14381 Guide to the Willy Pogany papers at the University of Oregon] ] Pogany came to America via Paris and London.In London, he produced his four masterpieces, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1910), Richard Wagner's "Tannhauser" (1911), "Parsifal" (1912) and "Lohengrin" (1913).

In 1918 he illustrated a children's rewrite of Homer, "The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy", retold by Padraic Colum.

Pogany's best known works consist of illustrations of classic myths and legends done in the Art Nouveau style. He also worked as an art director on several Hollywood films, including "Fashions of 1934" and "Dames".

Asked how to say his name, he told "The Literary Digest" that in America it was po-GAH-ny.  "However, in my native Hungary this name is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable with a slightly shorter "o" and the "gany" is as the French "-gagne" (the "y" is silent)": PO-gahn. [Charles Earle Funk, "What's the Name, Please?", Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.]

In his 1952 autobiography "Witness", Whittaker Chambers described "Willi Pogany" ("long a scene designer at the Metropolitan Opera House) as the brother of Joseph Pogany. [cite book | last = Chambers | first = Whittaker | title = Witness | publisher = Random House | date = 1952 | pages = p 214 | id = ISBN 0895265710] Willy Pogany sued Chambers for $1 million but lost in court [cite news | title = Newsmakers | publisher = TIME | date = October 27, 1952 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,890408,00.html]  and appeals. [cite news | title = Newsmakers | publisher = TIME | date = February 14, 1955 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807023-2,00.html] .  According to "TIME", "A lower court had found that Chambers, in his mistaken identification, had not maliciously implied that Willy was closely associated with 'a Communist leader and spy'," who had been "once (until Stalin liquidated him) Communist Hungary's puppet Commissar of War." [cite news | title = Newsmakers | publisher = TIME | date = February 14, 1955 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807023-2,00.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.nocloo.com/home/checklist/pogany-willy-illustrated-books-checklist.html full bibliography]
* [http://www.bookillustration.org/journal1.htm Details of a full biography and bibliography]
* [http://www.bpib.com/pogany.htm A biography]
* [http://www.nocloo.com/gallery2 Children's Book Illustrators Gallery - Illustrations of Willy Pogany]
* [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/?b=UF00077393&v=00001 "Willy Pogany Children : Robinson Crusoe" full text and images online]
* [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gask/child/child.html "The Fairies and the Christmas Child" - full text and images online]
* [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gask/tales/tales.html "Folk Tales From Many Lands" - full text and images online]
*gutenberg|16867|The Adventures of Odysseus and The Tales of Troy
* [http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=136 Image of Pogany from The Wee Web]