Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1998) Winner
Albert Wass
ワッス・アルベルト
Wass Albert
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1908-01-08 （Válaszút, Austria-Hungary (now Răscruci, Romania)）
- Died
- 1998-02-17 （Astor Park, Florida, U.S.） age 90
- Nationality
- Hungary
- Languages
- Hungarian
- Residence History
- Transylvania (Cluj region) → Germany (Hamburg and other places) → United States (Astor Park, Florida)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, writer, forest engineer, nobleman
- Active Years
- 1927-1998
- Affiliations
- American Hungarian Guild of Arts (founder), Danubian Press (publisher), University of Florida (employer/affiliation)
- Memberships
- Transylvanian Literary Society, Kisfaludy Society, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reformed Secondary School, Cluj (Farkas Street) | — | secondary education | — | — | Romania (then Austria-Hungary / local context) |
| Academy of Economics, Debrecen (forestry) | forestry | forestry | Diploma | 1920s–1930s（正確な在籍期間不明） | Hungary |
| Hohenheim (Germany) and the Sorbonne (Paris) | — | horticulture/forestry related studies | — | — | Germany, France |
Reformed Secondary School, Cluj (Farkas Street)
secondary education
Country:
Romania (then Austria-Hungary / local context)
Details of faculty/degree not specified
Academy of Economics, Debrecen (forestry)
forestry
/ forestry
Degree:
Diploma
Period:
1920s–1930s（正確な在籍期間不明）
Year of Graduation:
1932
Country:
Hungary
Received a forestry diploma and undertook further studies in Germany and Paris
Hohenheim (Germany) and the Sorbonne (Paris)
horticulture/forestry related studies
Country:
Germany, France
Reportedly received additional diplomas; details not specified
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Baumgarten Prize | — | — | Baumgarten (prize organization) | 受賞 |
| 1940 | Baumgarten Prize | — | — | Baumgarten (prize organization) | 受賞 |
| 1942 | Klebelsberg Award | — | — | Klebelsberg (award) | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary | — | — | Republic of Hungary | 受章 |
| — | Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award | — | — | Balint Balassi memorial organization | 受賞（年不詳） |
| — | Hungarian Heritage Award | — | — | related organization (unspecified) | 受賞（年不詳） |
Baumgarten Prize
1934
Organization:
Baumgarten (prize organization)
Result:
受賞
Baumgarten Prize
1940
Organization:
Baumgarten (prize organization)
Result:
受賞
Klebelsberg Award
1942
Organization:
Klebelsberg (award)
Result:
受賞
Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
1993
Organization:
Republic of Hungary
Result:
受章
Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award
Organization:
Balint Balassi memorial organization
Result:
受賞（年不詳）
Hungarian Heritage Award
Organization:
related organization (unspecified)
Result:
受賞（年不詳）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Wolfpit
1934 novelAn early representative work depicting the struggles of the interwar generation and a quest for historical justice; noted for unified presentation of social reality and archaic language.
historygenerational conflictjustice
The Witch of Funtinel
1959 novel (folkloric elements)A story incorporating folk and legendary elements; became popular in the Hungarian-speaking world.
folklorefolk traditionnature
Translations
Sword and Scythe
1974 family sagaA long family saga depicting the fates of a family across history; one of his popular major works.
familyhistoryethnicity
Give Back My Mountains to Me!
1949 novel / works with nationalist tendenciesA work about love of homeland and lost lands; widely read among Hungarian audiences.
homelandlossnational identity
Adaptations
- [film] Give Me Back My Mountains / Koltay Gábor (2007)
Translations
- Give Back My Mountains to Me!
Bibliography
- Virágtemetés (1927)
- Farkasverem (1934)
- Csaba (1940)
- By the Time the Trees Grow (1940)
- They Are Coming! (1940)
- In the Castle's Shade (1943)
- In Blood and Storm (1943)
- Give Back My Mountains to Me! (1949)
- The Witch of Funtinel (1959)
- Sword and Scythe (1974)
- Many others (poems, fables, short stories, etc.)
Adaptations
- Film adaptation of Adjátok vissza a hegyeimet (dir. Gábor Koltay, 2007)
Translations of Works
- Give Back My Mountains to Me! (English translation)
- The Witch of Funtinel (English translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, archaic narrative voiceemphasis on nature descriptionsometimes characterized as patriotic / nationalist in tone
- Recurring Motifs
- mountains and natureTransylvanian landscapenostalgia and reclaiming lost lands
Health
-
pulmonary disease (wife also affected)1950年代以降（生涯を通じて慢性的な健康問題あり）Affected family emigration decisions; chronic health problems worsened late in life and are reported to have contributed to his suicide.
Legacy
Albert Wass is a Transylvanian-born Hungarian-language writer with significant influence in Hungarian communities, but his legacy is contested due to wartime convictions and accusations of antisemitic elements in some works. He remains popular among many Hungarian communities, evidenced by numerous statues and inclusion in educational curricula.
Academic Societies
- Transylvanian Literary Society
- Kisfaludy Society
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences (associated)
Archives
- Wass family archives (Cege)
In Popular Culture
- More than 60 public statues in Hungary and Hungarian-populated localities in Romania
- Portions of his work included in the Hungarian national curriculum (from 2012; more prominent since 2020)
Quotes
-
I have never received a greater honor in my life!
Source: Wass's remark in response to Ceaușescu calling him 'the number one public enemy of Romania' (1988)
Trivia
- Sentenced to death in absentia by a Romanian tribunal in 1946.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1951 with members of his family.
- Recorded as having committed suicide in Florida in 1998.
- Over 60 public statues exist in Hungary and Hungarian-populated areas of Romania.
- Some fables have been criticized as antisemitic.