Alfréd Drasche-Lázár

Alfréd Artúr Béla Drasche-Lázár (15 June 1875 – 28 August 1949) was a Hungarian diplomat, writer, journalist, playwright, and politician.

From 1918 to 1922, Drasche-Lázár served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Hungary. He was one of two co-signatories of the Treaty of Trianon for Hungary, alongside Ágost Benárd.

Early life Alfréd Artúr Béla Drasche-Lázár was born on 15 June 1875 in the town of Dorog in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Political career In 1900, Drasche-Lázár worked as a draftsman for Kálmán Széll. Between 1904 and 1913, he was employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and later worked at the Ministry of Finance.

In June 1920, Drasche-Lázár was designated Extraordinary Envoy by Prime Minister Sándor Simonyi-Semadam and, alongside Minister of Public Welfare Ágost Benárd, was assigned to travel to the Grand Trianon in Versailles to sign the Treaty of Trianon on behalf of Hungary. The treaty saw Hungary's withdrawal from WWI and the loss of 71% of its territory.

Drasche-Lázár's literary career began in 1906 when a portfolio of short stories he had submitted appeared in the newspapers Magyar Hírlap and Pester Lloyd. He achieved further success in 1917 with the release of his novel Tűzpróba (English: Fire Test). Tűzpróba was adapted into a film in 1918 by Lux Film Factory. He wrote several plays that were performed in theaters in Budapest and Bratislava to minor acclaim. His most notable play was a 1920 operetta entitled A Délibáb Hercege (English: Prince of the Mirage) which he co-wrote with István Zágon and composer Béla Ángyán.

Personal life Alfréd Drasche-Lázár retired to Austria in 1944, settling in the town of Mayrhofen.

Works

Novels Source: A Nő és a Kígyó és Egyéb Elbeszélések [The Woman and the Serpent and Other Stories] (1913) Enyém Vagy! [You Are Mine!] (1917) Tűzpróba [Fire Test] (1917) Az Az Átkozott Pénz [The Cursed Money] (1917) Egymás Közt [Between Each Other] (1918) A Kutyabőr s Egyéb Történetek [The Dog's Skin and Other Stories] (1918) Éva Kis Keze [Eva's Little Hand] (1919) Tűzkereszt [Fire Cross] (1919) Cicisbeo (1921) Tied Az Élet! [Life Is Yours!] (1922) Marianne Öröke [Heir of Marianne] (1923) Dorilas: Tizenhárom Mese Nagyok Számára [Dorilas: Thirteen Tales for Adults] (1924) Azaldar (1925) Tegnap és Ma [Yesterday and Today] (1926) Füst, Illat és Szerelem [Smoke, Fragrance and Love] (1927) 2222 (1928) A Titokzatos Vendégek [The Mysterious Guests] (1929) Kicsiny a Világ és Egyéb Elbeszélések [The World is Small and Other Stories] (1929) Rózsa Mária és Egyéb Elbeszélések [Rózsa Mária and Other Stories] (1929) Amyr (1930) Az Egyenes Út [The Straight Path] (1930)

Plays Source: Boldogság [Happiness] (1918) Tűzpróba [Fire Test] (1920) A Délibáb Hercege [Prince of the Mirage] (1920)

Poems Source: Quatrocento (1921)