HUNGARIAN LITERATURE ONLINE.

A nice site showcasing Hungarian literature in English translation, with pages on authors and their works; I haven't had time to delve very far into it, but I'm intrigued by Orsolya Karafiáth, "a vamp and a poet of great formal talent in one person," who "writes post-postmodern poems with romantic, sometimes sentimental and melodramatic overtones." Here's "fission":

i cannot choose your touching any more
the touchings we have left are without truth
moments off-guard - what are we touching for
you gave me up and now i give up too
instead i rather choose your distantness
while still your distantness will seek me out
as an exchange please take my distantness
you've yielded me i too am yielding now
i opt for your regard whatever cold
forgiving aspects your regard may show
you too want my regard for after all
you've let me go and now i too let go
      there's no lovelier split no easier one
      give up while i too still am giving up

Oh, and there's an "Online Dictionary" search box on the upper right that gives quite impressive results. (Via wood s lot; therein is also found a link to The Hungarian Quarterly, "Central Europe's best English-language journal.")

Posted by languagehat at September 13, 2004 04:25 PM