Miklos Radnoti -'Flame must rise above death and autumn'
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Miklos Radnoti in 1930, courtesy of Wikpedia.
Peace, Horror
When I stepped out through the gate,it was just ten o'clock
A baker stepped by on gleaming wheels, a song on his lips.
A plane droning high overhead and the sun up, it was ten,
And my dead sister came into my mind and with that they were all
Flying above me-those whom I love and who are not alive-
Darkly across the sky, a host of the silent dead.....
Then a jolt, and a shadow crumpled against the wall.
Silence. The morning came to a halt on the stroke of ten;
Hovering over the street- and a certain horror. (1938)
Miklos Radnoti was born into a Hungarian Jewish family in 1909 .Radnoti's first collection of poetry 'Pagan Invocation' , was published in 1930. Two others followed in 1931, and 1933. In 1934 Radnoti moved to Budapest and started writing for a literary magazine titled Nyugat . Cultural life in Hungry began to reflect contemporary cultural tensions, Radnoti was firmly aligned with the more Left-leaning writers and artists of the day whilst German economic domination and political influence was growing. Radnoti still had collections of poetry published and married his school sweetheart Fanni Gyarmati, and a lot of his poetry was inspired by her.
A fair amount of his poetry featured eerie premonition of what calamity was going to befall Hungary. Radnoti avidly followed the Republican cause in Spain. In 1936 he brought out a collection titled ' Keep Walking, you the Death Condemned' . The poem of the same name was also a strange premonition of Radnoti's own fate
"Keep walking, you, the death-condemned'
In front, the dark trees ranged in line
Topple towards you; bushes hide
A cat and the chill wind. The road
Turns white with fear, arching its spine.
Shrivel away now, autumn leaves!
Shrivel, oh terrifying world!
Cold hissing from the sky is harsh,
And on stiff, rusty blades of grass
The shadows of wild ducks are hurled ....."
A series of repressive measures were passed in Hungary from 1930- 1941, instigated by Admiral Horthy's regime. Types of employment were banned to Radnoti as a Jew , but worst was the fact that Jews were forced to register to join a forced labour system. Hungary became more aligned with the Axis, even declaring war on the Soviet Union in 1941, and sending troops to take part in the invasion. Radnoti was called up for three months in 1940 for labour service, and for ten months in 1942-1943 Shortly after this term, Radnoti converted to the Roman Catholic faith. In 1944 he was deported to Yugoslavia to serve with other Jews in building roads for the German occupiers. By then Germany had assumed control of Hungary.
In September 1944, the Germans had to evacuate the Balkans following the advance of the Red Army and the growing confidence of Tito's partisans. The Hungarian Jewish labourers,who were partly guarded by Hungarian soldiers, were made to join a forced march back into Hungary. Cold weather, near starvation, damaged health, and exhaustion led to many casualties. Around the 8th November 1944 , near the town of Gyor, Radnoti was amongst 21 sick and exhausted Jewish labourers who were separated from the main column. The following day, near the town of Abda, the Jews were made to dig a ditch, then shot one by one.
After the War, the bodies were exhumed. It was discovered that Radnoti had hidden a notebook of his poetry in his coat. In 1948, a posthumous collection of poetry was published.
Ultimately Radnoti's work was inspired by Jewish culture, with a growing Christian influence, Anti-Fascism, reverence for nature, an instinctive humanitarian viewpoint, with a haunting fatalism. A feeling that however hopeless his predicament must have seen as a Jew with liberal-Left views, trapped in central Europe dominated by the Axis, Radnoti was never going to abandon his idealism.
However harrowing Radnoti's war poetry could be, thought that it was fitting to end with some lines that showed that Radnoti was poet who wrote about love. And this must not be forgotten. Here are the final three verses of 'Autumn Begins Restlessly'... written in August- September 1941.
" The landscape falls asleep
Death lovely in his white glide
Settle on the countryside.
The sky cradles the garden.
Look; in your hair's and autumn leaf that's golden,
Above you, branches weep.
Ah but your flame must rise above death and autumn
And raise me love, love, along with you.
let the wise thing be to love me today-
Be wise and kiss me, hungry for dreams too.
Joyfully love me, do not leave me, fall
With me into the dark sky sleep creates.
Let's sleep. Out there the thrush is well asleep.
The walnut, falling on fallen leave piled deep,
makes no harsh sound. Reason disintegrates."
Sources
Poetry
Some English translations of Radnoti
Dame Judi Dench reciting Miklos Radnoti poem from (Exiled Hungarian ) director Robert Vas' film 'My Homeland' from 'Youtube'.
Books
'Foamy Sky- The Major Poems of Miklos Radnoti' Selected by Zsusanna Ozsvatha and Fredrick Turner, , Princeton University Press, 1992 is highly recommended. A superb collection of Radnoti's work from 1929- 1944 with a useful biography.
'Forced March-Selected Poems' by Miklos Radnoti, Translated from the Hungarian by Clive Wilmer and George Gomori. , Enitharmon Press , in association with the European Jewish Society, 2003. Also recommended...shorter collection than 1992's 'Foamy Sky' and a great introduction to Radnoti's life and work.
Fanni Gyamati died on 15th September 2014. The Daily Telegraph Obituary is well worth a read.
