The pure verbal energy characterizing Hungarian poetry may be regarded
as one of the most striking components of Hungarian culture. More than
800 years ago, under the inspiration of classical and medieval Latin poetry,
Hungarian poets began to craft a rich chain of poetic designs, much
of it in response to the country’s cataclysmic history. With precision, depth,
and great intensity, these verses give accounts of their authors’ vision of
themselves as participants in history and their most personal experience in
the world. Light within the Shade includes 135 of the most important Hungarian
poems ranging from the fourteenth to the twenty-first century. Organized
in chronological order, the poems are followed by an essay by Ozsváth
providing the historical, biographical, and cultural background of the poets
and the poetry. The book concludes with Turner’s essay on the special
thematic and literary qualities of Hungarian poetry, as well as notes on
translation practices. This essential volume exposes English-speaking readers
to Hungarian poetry’s artistic achievement in history and culture, its
evolutionary development as a tradition, and its significance within the
context of world literature.
