László Németh

Later years In 1959 he visited the Soviet Union. In the last part of his life he lived and worked in Tihany. He died from a stroke on 3 March 1975 in Budapest and was buried in Farkasréti Cemetery there.

In 1969 the publishers Magvető and issued his Collected Works.

Awards

1951 – the Attila József Prize for his translation of Leo Tolstoy's work Anna Karenina 1957 – the Kossuth Prize (he gave the prize money to the Hódmezővásárhely school's library) 1961 – Gold Order of Merit for Work 1965 – the Herder Prize 1968 – the Batsányi Prize.

Works The English names of the works are approximate translations and are not published titles of them.

Novels Emberi Színjáték (1929) ("Human Play") Gyász (1935) ("Mourning")

The protagonist Zsófi Kurátor has lost her husband. After she loses her child too, she spends the rest of her life in mourning. Because she follows the rules of a widow, people in her village treat her as an outcast. The whole community scrutinises her every act: can no man tempt her?

Iszony (1947) ("Loathing"/"Revulsion")

The protagonist Nelli Kárász is a loner and uninterested in men. After her arranged marriage, Nelli's marriage and life are unhappy. She hates being dependent on her husband, hates the prison of her marriage. Her husband, Sanyi Takaró, abuses her body and soul. Nelli tries to be a good housekeeper, but at the same time a bad wife, because she wants to annoy her husband in the hope that he will leave her . Her husband, however, tries to make his marriage as happy as possible and looks up to his wife as a goddess. Sanyi becomes jealous of one of their friends, even though he knows that Nelli is not interested in him. As the marriage goes downhill Sanyi has affairs with servant girls. The marriage ends with his death: he is very ill and, against doctor's advice, he tries to have sex with Nelli, who resists. In the middle of the battle his heart stops as Nelli smothers his face with a pillow. It is not clear whether he dies of choking or suffocation.

Égető Eszter (1948) ("Eszter Égető")

The protagonist Eszter tries to fight against life's difficulties. She has three children and a happy marriage, until her husband cheats on her. She looks after her father, helps with their farm, and supports village life. Eszter struggles to make her home, marriage and life happy.

Irgalom ("Mercy")

Plays

Bodnárné (1931) ("Mrs Bodnár") II. József ("Joseph II") VII. Gergely ("Gregory VII") Villámfénynél ("Lightning") Pusztuló magyarok (1936–1946) ("Dying Hungarians") Papucshős (1938) ("Silent Hero") Erzsébet-nap (1940–46) ("Saint Elisabeth's Day") Széchenyi (1946) ("Széchenyi") Eklézsia-megkövetés (1946) ("Megkövetés Ecclesiology") Husz János (1948) ("Jan Hus") Galilei (1953) ("Galilei") Az áruló (1954) ("The Traitor") Petőfi Mezőberényben (1954) ("Petőfi in Mezőberény") Apáczai (1955) ("Apáczai") A két Bolyai (1961) ("The two Bolyais") (Bolyai is a family name) Csapda ("Trap") Gandhi halála ("Gandhi's Death") Nágy próféta (verses) ("The Four Apostles") (in poetic form) Utazás (1961) ("Journey") Nagy család ("Large Family") Harc a jólét ellen (1964) ("Fight Against Luxury")

Essays A minőség forradalma (1940) ("The Revolution of Quality") Készülődés (1941) ("Preparation") Kisebbségben (1942) ("In the Minority") Sajkódi esték (1961) ("Evenings in Sajkód") A kísérletező ember (1963) ("The Experimental Human")

Memorials A plaque at 79 Erzsébet Szilágyi Avenue, Budapest II, commemorating that Németh lived there. A statue by Róbert Csíkszentmihályi, unveiled on 28 April 2006 at the corner of Pasarét and Radnai streets in Budapest. László Németh Prize László Németh Grammar School, Budapest XIII. László Németh Lyceum, Nagybánya, at 1 Luminişului Street László Németh Primary School, Budapest VIII. László Németh Primary School, Felsőgöd László Németh Primary School, Mezőszilas László Németh Primary School, Székesfehérvár