SZILÁGYI, GÉZA

SZILÁGYI, GÉZA (1875–1958), Hungarian poet. A native of Budapest, where he studied law, Szilágyi joined the editorial boards of various newspapers. He was the first poet in Hungary to portray unrestrained passion, and the publication of his first verse anthology, Tristia, led to his prosecution in 1896 and to the banning of his book. Szilágyi had a decisive influence on his great contemporary, the poet Entire Ady. Szilágyi belonged to the Hungarian modernist school, which published various periodicals, such as Nyugat, Szerda, and Figyelő. In his often satirical works, he tended to emphasize the more grotesque aspects of life. Of all the Hungarian-Jewish poets of the time Szilágyi adhered most closely to Judaism. He translated extracts from the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, and wrote poems on biblical themes. His verse collections include Válagatott régi és új versek ("Selected Old and New Poems," 1948), Holt vizeken ("On the Waters of Death," 1903. and Neked írtam ("I Wrote for You," 1911). Three of his prose works were Lepel nélkül ("Uncloaked," 1910), Ez Pest ("This is Budapest," 1913), and Menny, pokol, háború ("Heaven, Hell, War," 1917). Szilágyi was also an active journalist. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Magyar Zsidó Lexikon (1929), 851; Magyar Irodalmi Lexikon, 3 (1965), 240. (Baruch Yaron)