Nyugat

Cover of the first issue (1908)

Nyugat, meaning "West", was a Hungarian literary journal, probably the most important in the first half of the 20th century. Writer and poet generations of the age are still referred to as "1st/2nd/3rd generation of Nyugat".

It was founded in 1908 and initially edited by Pál Ignotus (Hugo Veigelsberg), Ernő Osvát, and Miksa Fenyő. It was originally inspired by a theme of receptivity to styles and philosophies current in Western Europe including naturalism, symbolism, and impressionism. Nyugat published both poetry and prose writing.

The first generation included the poets Endre Ady, Árpád Tóth, Mihály Babits, Dezső Kosztolányi, Gyula Juhász, Géza Gyóni and the novelists Gyula Krúdy and Zsigmond Móricz.

During World War I, Nyugat was challenged by leftist literary circles and it eventually evolved toward more frustrated and depressed tones about the war itself.

The second generation of Nyugat writers in the twenties like Lőrinc Szabó, József Fodor, György Sárközi were post-expressionist and post-structualist. Poets of this generation included Attila József, Gyula Illyés, Miklós Radnóti and József Erdélyi. Prose writer Sándor Márai wrote family sagas and about social change. László Németh and Tibor Déry were also important novelists of this era.

The third generation in the thirties is sometimes referred to as the "essayist" generation and included Antal Szerb, László Szabó, and Gábor Halász as well as the poets Sándor Weöres, István Vas, Jenő Dsida, Zoltán Zelk, Gábor Devecseri, György Rónay, Zoltán Jékely.

External Link

• The entire contents of The NYUGAT literary and social review.