A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO ENDRE TOTH

organized by Ralph Dumain

TOTH, Endre (21 May 1931 - 28 April 1981), Hungarian. In 1945 he was blinded by an accidentally exploded artillery shell. He nonetheless went on to graduate from high school in 1949. Subsequently, he attended the Hungarian Academy of Music, where he earned diplomas as an organist and pianist, and the University of Budapest, earning a degree in literature. In addition to his native Hungarian he mastered English, Esperanto, French, and German. He taught at the Budapest Institute for the Blind and worked on the editorial staff of the daily Popular Sport. Book publication: Lappar, la Antikristo [Lappar the Antichrist"] (collection of short stories, 1982).

Source: Trezoro: La Esperanta Novelarto 1887-1986, Vol. 2, edited by Reto Rossetti & Henri Vatré (Budapest: Hungara Esperanto-Asocio, 1989), p. 939. Translated from Esperanto by Ralph Dumain with editorial emendations by Lester Shepard. Volume 2 includes three stories by Toth: "Groto" [in Esperanto] ["Cave" in English], "Lappar, la Antikristo", and "Kiel Abioj" [Like Fir Trees].

I had a specific reason for translating "Cave" ["Groto"] for this web site. When I first read this story a decade or so ago, I thought it was brilliant. My knowledge of literature is hardly encyclopedic, but this story struck me as unique and highly original. It is philosophically ingenious. I chose it because it is about knowledge, about the relationship of the individual to the universe of knowledge, as well as being highly symbolic. What do you do when you can't know everything but you want to get sufficiently oriented to be able to figure out where you are and what you can contribute? I find this story highly suggestive in this area. I chose it specifically for this reason. (Elsewhere on the site you can find extracts from the science fiction novel Empire Star by Samuel R. Delaney, highlighting his notions of simplex-complex-multiplex. I pair this conceptually with "Groto" because it is also about the relation of self to the universe of knowledge, asking the most profound and basic questions.) In time, perhaps I will expand on my analysis.

Here I am beginning a memorial tribute and documentation center for Endre Toth. To this end, it would help to expand the bibliography, perhaps even publish available texts of some of the referenced items: reviews, obituaries, discussions and critiques of Toth in Esperanto. Perhaps there are other published works by Toth not included in his book Lappar, la Antikristo. There are literary manuscripts by Toth in Hungarian. Perhaps at least a bibliography of these could be compiled.

Another aspect is to solicit new information, analyses, and tributes to Toth. One step would be to make inquiries to and via the Esperanto press. Perhaps a tribute to Toth in the Esperanto press could be organized. Or on a web site. I intend to publish whatever I can in English on this site as a first priority, but I am open to publishing material in other languages as well.

Our major contributor to this project so far is Mr. Lester Shepard, who will offer his own personal knowledge and reminiscences of Mr. Toth as well as analysis of his work.

If anyone else would like to contribute to this project, please contact me.

ANONCO POR ESPERANTISTOJ

Post aperigo de mia anglalingva traduko de "Groto" [en Esperanto] de Endre Toth ĉe ĉi tiu TTT-ejo, mi ricevis anglalingvan komunikaĵon de amiko de la mortinta Toth. Tiu havas hungarlingvajn manuskriptojn de Toth. Nu, li skribis al mi kelkajn provizorajn anglalingvajn memoraĵojn pri la vivo kaj talentoj (muzikaj & beletraj) de Toth. Mi decidis konstrui memoraĵon pri Toth ĉi tie, precipe en la angla. Eble eventuale mi povos organizi ion similan en Esperanto, eble ĉi tie sed eble pli taŭge aliloke. Mi bezonas pluajn informojn el Esperantujo pri Toth, ekz. bibliografiajn informojn: temas pri pluaj verkoj de Toth krom tiuj kolektitaj en Lappar, la Antikristo, ankaŭ recenzoj kaj aliaj artikoloj pri liaj vivo kaj verkoj inkluzive de nekrologoj en la gazetaro. Ankaŭ informoj pri publikaĵoj en la hungara lingvo estas bonvenaj. Kontaktu min. Mi anticipe dankas ĉiujn kontribuontojn al ĉi tiu projekto.

Plua bibliografio:

Silfer, Giorgio. Lappar la Antikristo, Recenzo; Literatura Foiro, n-ro 120, augusto 1989, p. 30-31.

LINKS / VIZITU:

"Cave" by Endre Toth

"«Mi Ne Deziras Esti Juvelo»" de Georgi Miĥalkov

"Groto" in Esperanto

German translation of story / germanlingva traduko de "Groto"

German translation of short story collection Lappar, La Antikristo /
germanlingva traduko de novelaro: LAPPAR, DER ANTICHRIST

Lappar, La Antikristo

"Esperanta Antikristo ekster la Verda Infero" de Tomasz Chmielik

"La Plej Valora" de Sten Johansson

CONTACT Ralph Dumain

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Uploaded 12 August 2001
Rev. 7 March 2002
New links 11 January 2004

©2001-2004 Ralph Dumain