Literary Journal 2018/2. Soldiers, Poets, Lovers

The issue of Literary Journal entitled Katonák, költők, szerelmek (Soldiers, Poets, Lovers) follows the main trends of Hungarian military poetry from the last century of the Middle Ages to the second half of the 20th century. The publication contains engaging and high-quality essays on the St. Ladislaus Song or classical pieces of Kuruc poetry, as well as the Napoleonic Wars, the War of Independence of 1848–1849, the First and Second World Wars, and military-themed lyrical works from the age of ‘socialism’.

The issue convincingly demonstrates that although the mode of existence of poets and soldiers seems difficult to reconcile, there are many examples of both roles being emphatically present within a personality – not separately, but in close and fruitful unity. But there are also lyricists in this issue, typically of the 20th century, who have an ambivalent, perhaps explicitly negative attitude towards military service: they revolt for moral reasons against the army, the ruthless ‘system of rules’ of war; ironically, they view the role of a soldier in a ‘distorted mirror or transform their traumatic military experiences into a metaphysical interpretation of existence.

The issue focuses not only on the works: it also tries to present the personalities and life problems of their creators. It highlights the love affairs of military poets, which often inspired the birth of excellent works. Thus, the issue also evokes Venus, the god of love, the ‘alter-ego’ of Mars, the god of war; that is why it was given the title of ‘Soldiers, Poets, Lovers’.