József Katona
József Katona(11 November 1791,Kecskemét– 16 April 1830, Kecskemét) was aHungarianplaywrightandpoet,creator of the Hungarian historical tragedyBánk bán.
Biography
[edit]József Katona was born and died inKecskemét.He studied at theUniversityofPestas a lawyer, and at the same time, he took part in theatrical life of the capital: he was anactor,he wrote several plays, and he also translated and adaptedGermanmelodramaticworks for theHungarianstage. He hopelessly loved the leading Hungarian actress,Mme Déry,but she never recognized this love.
József Katona wroteBánk bán,his most important drama for a literary competition organized by aKolozsvárperiodical in 1815. The competition required a historical drama with a Hungarian background. The result of the competition was disappointment for Katona: hisBánk Bánwas not mentioned at all. He rewrote the play and published it privately in 1820, but it remained unnoticed until the mid-1830s. He returned to his native town Kecskemet. In the last ten years of his life, he wrote no more for the stage. Katona died on April 16, 1830, of a heart attack in front of his office.
Works
[edit]- Aubigny Clementina,1813
- Ziska,1813
- Jeruzsálem pusztulása,1814
- A rózsa, vagy a tapasztalatlan légy a pókok között,1814
- Bánk bán(Hungarian text), 1815; final version, 1819
Bánk bán
[edit]The story was about Bánk, the viceroy appointed by KingAndrew II(1205–35), while the King was away on his foreign campaigns. Bánk became involved in a conspiracy against the German-born wife of the king; he tries to prevent the rebellion, but finally he is the man who kills the queen. His reason for the murder was political and personal at the same time: Queen Gertrude had taken part in a plot to seduce Bánk’s wife. Bánk's complex character and the deep conflict between duty and personal grief make Bánk Bán one of the best Hungarian dramas. It was written at the time when the intellectuals of the country opposedHabsburgabsolutism,and the drama is about mediaeval times when Hungary’s nobility fought against foreign usurpers as well, so the drama had been blacklisted by the government. In 1848, in the evening of March 15, theHungarian National Theaterscheduled a performance of Bánk Bán. It was a symbolic event, part of the Hungarian revolution.
Bibliography
[edit]- József Katona: Bánk bán (The viceroy), translated byBernard AdamsandKálmán Ruttkay;foreword written byLászló Orosz– Budapest: Akad. K., cop. 2003.
See also
[edit]
- Bánk bán,opera byFerenc Erkel
- Bánk Bán (film),a 1914 film byMichael Curtiz
External links
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