Margit Kaffka (1880–1918)
Author of Colours and Years; The Ant Heap
About the Author
Image credit: Image © ÖNB/Wien
Works by Margit Kaffka
Két nyár novellák 2 copies
Kaffka Margit regényei 2 copies
Kaffka Margit könyve 1 copy
Kaffka Margit Regényei I-II. 1 copy
Állomások 1 copy
Hangyaboly regény 1 copy
Lzad asszonyok I. 1 copy
Lzad asszonyok II. 1 copy
Csendes vlsgok 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Kaffka, Margit
- Legal name
- Kaffka, Margit
- Birthdate
- 1880-06-10
- Date of death
- 1918-12-01
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- novelist
poet - Relationships
- Balázs, Béla (brother-in-law)
- Short biography
- Margit Kaffka was born at Nagykaroly -- today's Carei, Romania -- the daughter of an impoverished Hungarian Catholic family. She won scholarships to train as a teacher and taught in a private girls' school in Miskolc and in Budapest. She also began writing poetry and novels, being inspired by her friend, the poet Endre Ady, as well as the writers' group of the periodical Hét. In 1905, she married Brúnó Fröhlich, a forestry officer, but the marriage was unhappy and ended in divorce after a few years. In 1914, she married Ervin Bauer, a biologist. Margit Kaffka is considered one of the most important Hungarian writers of her generation. Her best known works were Szinek es evek ("Colors and Years") (1912) and Allomasok ("Stations") (1917), which featured feminist themes. Margit Kaffka died at age 38 during the great worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918.
- Nationality
- Hungary
- Birthplace
- Carei, Romania
- Places of residence
- Carei, Romania (birth)
Szatmár, Hungary
Miskolc, Hungary
Budapest, Hungary - Burial location
- Farkasréti Cemetery, Budapest.
- Associated Place (for map)
- Hungary
Members
Reviews
I knew nothing about Margit Kaffka until I picked up this book, which includes an extensive introduction describing her life and career. Kaffka was born in Hungary in 1880, and overcame extreme prejudice to establish a literary career. She was educated in a convent, and became a feminist thinker long before the world at large knew of such things. She was not afraid to take unpopular positions, and spoke out against World War I. Her life was cut short by Spanish Influenza, and the world lost show more an important female voice.
With that background, I was keen to dive into The Ant Heap, a novella of life in a convent school. This is not a story of piety and virtue; rather, Kaffka depicts the very human nature of nuns and priests. There are flirtations, and inappropriate alliances. And there's ambition, especially after the convent's Mother Superior passes away.
The Ant Heap was probably controversial when first published. However, I found it boring and a little trite. The characters were not well-developed and I felt no emotional attachment. The language is very basic. Usually I can find at least one quote-worthy sentence, but not this time. I am inclined to blame this on the translation. And that's a shame, because I can't help feeling I've missed out on something. show less
With that background, I was keen to dive into The Ant Heap, a novella of life in a convent school. This is not a story of piety and virtue; rather, Kaffka depicts the very human nature of nuns and priests. There are flirtations, and inappropriate alliances. And there's ambition, especially after the convent's Mother Superior passes away.
The Ant Heap was probably controversial when first published. However, I found it boring and a little trite. The characters were not well-developed and I felt no emotional attachment. The language is very basic. Usually I can find at least one quote-worthy sentence, but not this time. I am inclined to blame this on the translation. And that's a shame, because I can't help feeling I've missed out on something. show less
A Színek és évek egy öregedő asszony, egy hajdani dzsentrilány emlékezésének foglalata. Az egymásba hullámzó emlékek azonban áttörik az idő határait, élővé teszik a múlt példázatát, s egybemosnak történetet, lírát és kommentárt. A regény hősnője – sorsával egyszerre példázza a régi asszonyi élet csendes pusztulását és a süppedő világ erkölcsét, melyet Kaffka Margit gyalázatos tisztességnek nevez. Az az életforma, mely megszabja Pórtelky show more Magda gondolkodásának, vágyainak és lehetőségeinek határát, a nő számára egyetlen utat hagy: a házasságot. Magda is ősei módjára, megyei ember feleségeként akarja életét berendezni. Amikor azonban egy tragikus véletlen megfosztja férjétől, szembetalálja magát a megváltozott világgal, amely szinte kálváriát járat vele. Második házasságát már azzal a meggondolással kezdi, hogy számára nincs más megoldás, mint egy új férj. Látszólag megint megkapaszkodik tehát, pedig élete süllyedése valójában most kezdődik el. Az emlékvilág falai lassan leomlanak, és durván láthatóvá lesz az élősdi és kiszolgáltatott asszony alakja. show less
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- Works
- 24
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 113
- Popularity
- #173,160
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 32
- Languages
- 6