Géza Ottlik

Géza Ottlik (May 9, 1912 in Budapest – October 9, 1990 in Budapest) was a Hungarian writer, translator, mathematician, and bridge theorist.

He attended the military school at Kőszeg and Budapest, and studied mathematics and physics at Budapest University 1931-1935. After a brief career on Hungarian Radio, he was a secretary of Hungarian PEN Club from 1945 to 1957. As he was unable to publish his works for political reasons, he earned his living by translations. He translated mainly from English (Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, John Osborne, Evelyn Waugh); and German (Thomas Mann, G. Keller, Stefan Zweig).

He was a passionate bridge player and advanced theoretician, and his book Adventures in Card Play written with Hugh Kelsey describes a variety of mind-boggling techniques (such as Backwash squeeze and Entry-shifting squeeze) and presents a classic in the field.

Awards

1960 He received a grant from the British Government for his translations

• József Attila Prize (1981)
• Kossuth Prize (1985)

Krisztinaváros Ottlik Géza, Attila út 45.

Bibliography

• Hamisjátékosok (Swindlers; stories) (1941)
• Hajnali háztetők (Rooftops at Dawn; novella) (1957)
• Iskola a határon (School at the Frontier; novel) (1959)
• Minden megvan (Nothing's Lost; short stories) (1969, revised and enlarged 1991)
• Adventures in Card Play (with Hugh Kelsey, on the play of the hand in bridge) (1979)
• Próza (Prose; essays, interviews) (1980)
• A Valencia-rejtély (The Valencia Enigma; novel) (1989)
• Hajónapló (Logbook; novel) (1989)
• Buda (novel) (1993)

References

• Hungarian Literature database
• His biography and publications
• Géza Ottlik on Hunlit.hu

Persondata
Name	Ottlik, Geza
Alternative names
Short description	Hungarian writer, translator, bridge theorist
Date of birth	May 9, 1912
Place of birth	Budapest, Hungary
Date of death	October 9, 1990
Place of death	Budapest, Hungary