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Kiss Benedek

キシュ・ベネデク

Kiss Benedek

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-03-19 （Akasztó, Hungary）
Nationality
Hungarian
Languages
Hungarian
Residence History
Studied/raised in Kalocsa → Lives and works in Budapest

Career

Occupations
poet, translator, children's author
Active Years
1967-
Affiliations
Magyar Művészeti Akadémia (Hungarian Academy of Arts)
Memberships
Magyar Művészeti Akadémia (Hungarian Academy of Arts), Kilencek (poetry group)

Education

Eötvös Loránd University
Faculty of Humanities / Hungarian and folk education (magyar–népművelés)
Degree: Diploma
Period: 1963–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: Hungary
Studied Hungarian and folk education; graduated in 1967.

Awards

Radnóti Prize
1971
Organization: Radnóti Prize (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Móricz Zsigmond Scholarship
1976
Organization: Móricz Zsigmond Scholarship (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
József Attila Prize
1979
Organization: József Attila Prize
Result: 受賞
József Attila Prize
1999
Organization: József Attila Prize
Result: 受賞
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Officer's Cross
1994
Organization: Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
Result: 受章
Balassi Bálint Memorial Sword
2003
Organization: Balassi Bálint Memorial Sword
Result: 受賞
Salvatore Quasimodo Lifetime Achievement Award
2011
Organization: Salvatore Quasimodo Award
Result: 受賞
Arany János Prize
2011
Organization: Arany János Prize
Result: 受賞
Magyarország Babérkoszorúja
2014
Organization: Magyarország Babérkoszorúja Prize
Result: 受賞
Prima Prize
2017
Organization: Prima Primissima
Result: 受賞
Kossuth Prize
2018
Organization: Kossuth Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Gazdátlan évszak

1970 poetry 72 pages

Early collection of poems exploring personal perspective and universal sensibility through observations of nature and everyday life.

naturepersonal memorylyricism

Csiga, csiga, facsiga

1976 children's book (poems) 40 pages

A children's book filled with poems and imagery, emphasizing playful rhythms and sound.

childhood imaginationrhythmwordplay

Apokrif litánia, 2007–2009

2009 poetry 96 pages

A collection of later poems mixing religious and philosophical motifs with personal reminiscence.

religious motifsreminiscenceexistence

Utak keresztje (Collected Poems, 1962–2009)

2010 poetry (collected) 320 pages

A comprehensive selection covering representative works from 1962 to 2009, offering an overview of stylistic development.

passage of timenature and memoryintrospection

Isten csavargója (Selected Poems, 1962–2012)

2013 poetry (selected) 280 pages

Selected poems from 1962–2012 combining traditional themes with experimental expression.

tradition and experimentationnaturehuman observation

Bibliography

  • Gazdátlan évszak (1970)
  • Békesség nektek, utak! (1973)
  • Csiga, csiga, facsiga (1976)
  • Zene-bona (1982)
  • Utak keresztje (Collected Poems, 2010)
  • Apokrif litánia (2009)
  • Isten csavargója (Selected Poems, 2013)

Translations by Author

  • Poems by Ivan Canev (translations from Bulgarian)
  • K. Stanishev: Tales of the Famous Traveling Circus (1981)
  • Karalijcev–Todorov: The Stork Szilján (1984)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
blend of symbolic imagery and lyricismstrong sensitivity to rhythm and soundcombination of concrete detail and intellectual reflection
Recurring Motifs
naturetravel/movementchildhood perspectivegrape and wine (folk motifs)

Legacy

Kiss Benedek is one of Hungary's notable contemporary poets, also known for children's poetry and translation. His long career of writing and translation has earned him wide recognition and numerous literary awards.

Academic Societies

  • Magyar Művészeti Akadémia (Hungarian Academy of Arts)

Archives

  • Materials and biography information available at the Petőfi Literary Museum (PIM)

Trivia

  • Married Garai Etelka Katalin in 1966.
  • Has two children (Virág, 1967; Balázs, 1970).
  • Was a member of the Kilencek poetry group during his student years.
  • Known for translations of Bulgarian poetry.