Bella Nagy ( Grósz; 4 July 1879 – 30 January 1947) was a Hungarian actress, and the second wife of writer

Mór Jókai Móricz Jókay of Ásva (18 February 1825 – 5 May 1904), known as Mór Jókai, was a Hungarian novelist, dramatist and revolutionary. Outside of Hungary, he was also known as Maurice Jókai or Maurus Jókai or Mauritius Jókai. He was a le ...

Early life

Bella Grósz was born in Jákó, Hungary, the daughter of Jewish parents, Móric Grósz and Éva Flamm. Her father was a mechanic. She graduated from a commercial school in

Óbuda Óbuda (, ) is, together with Buda and Pest, one of the three cities that were unified to form the Hungarian capital city of Budapest in 1873. Today, together with Békásmegyer, Óbuda forms a part of the city's third district, although the to ...

before pursuing an interest in the theatre, attending the Rákosi Szidi acting school.

Career

Nagy had her stage debut in 1898, and performed in several works by

before she married the writer in 1899 in Budapest. Their age difference (he was 74 and she was 20), plus their religious differences, caused a scandal, and his family tried to have him declared incompetent. She left the stage reluctantly, and attempted a comeback in 1901, but continued in the public eye as Jókai's wife. After his death, she was his sole heir, outraging other claimants and causing further scandal and prolonged legal battles; she lost those battles, and was left without support from Jókai's estate. In 1912, Nagy donated Jókai's books and papers to the

Hungarian National Museum The Hungarian National Museum (, ) was founded in 1802 and is the national museum for the history, art, and archaeology of Hungary, including areas not within Hungary's modern borders, such as Transylvania; it is separate to the collection of int ...

in exchange for a life pension.

Personal life

Nagy married writer Mór Jókai in 1899, as his second wife; they honeymooned in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. His first wife,

Róza Laborfalvi Róza Laborfalvi ( Judit Benke de Laborfalva; 8 April 1817 – 20 November 1886) was a Hungarian noblewoman, actress and wife of novelist Mór Jókai de Ásva. Early life She was the daughter of actor and stage director József Benke de Labor ...

, was also an actress. Nagy was widowed when Jókai died in 1904; she never remarried. She moved to England in the 1939, to flee the Nazis and to arrange for an English-language edition of her husband's works. She lost her life pension in 1942, when Germany pressured Hungary to cease payments. She died in 1947, in

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

, Buckinghamshire, aged 67.General Register Office. ''England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes''. London, England: General Register Office. © Crown copyright via Ancestry.com. Accessed 11 June 2023.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagy, Bella 1879 births 1947 deaths Hungarian actresses Hungarian Jews Hungarian emigrants to the United Kingdom