Ferenc Herczeg (born ''Franz Herzog'', 22 September 1863 in Versec,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

– 24 February 1954 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

) was a Hungarian playwright and author who promoted

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

opinion in his country. He was nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

three times.

Career

He founded and edited the magazine ''Új Idők ("New Times")'' in 1895. In 1896, he was elected to parliament, and in 1901, he became the president of the Petőfi Society. ''Dream Country'' (1912), one of his more prominent novels, tells how the love affair of an American business magnate and a Hungarian adventuress ends in jealousy and murder in the course of a yacht tour from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. In 1925, 1926 and 1927, he was nominated for the Nobel prize for ''The Gates of Life'' (1919), a historical novel about archbishop

Tamás Bakócz Tamás Bakócz OP (, Erdőd, Esztergom) was a Hungarian archbishop, cardinal and statesman. He was a serious candidate in the 1513 papal conclave. Life Born in Szatmár County, Bakócz was the son of a wagoner and was adopted by his uncle, wh ...

, the only Hungarian aspirant to the papal throne, set in 16th-century

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. One major recurring theme of his novels is the conflict of a rich heir with his brother, cousin or rival who has been cheated of his lawful rights (''Huszt of Huszt'' 1906, ''The Two Lives of Magdalena'' 1917, ''Northern Lights'' 1930). In 1949, Herczeg sued movie studio

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, producer

Joe Pasternak Joseph Herman Pasternak (born József Paszternák; September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-American film producer in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Pasternak spent the Hollywood Musical film, "Golden Age" of musicals ...

and screenwriters

Walter Reisch Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and ...

and Leo Townsend (author) for $200,000 over the 1942 movie '' Seven Sweethearts'', claiming they had plagiarized his play Seven Sisters, which he had written in 1903 and which

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

had adapted into The Seven Sisters a 1915 movie starring Madge Evans.Seven Sweathearts
cm.co

/ref>

Selected bibliography

* ''Above and Below'' (1890) * ''Mutamur'' (1893) * '' A Gyurkovics-lányok, The Gyurkovics Girls'' (1893) * ''The Daughter of the Landlord of Dolova'' (1893) * ''The Gyurkovics Boys'' (1895) * ''The House of Honthy'' (a drama, 1896) * ''The First Storm'' (a drama, 1899) * ''Hand Washes Hand'' (a drama, 1903) * ''The Gates of Life'' (a novel, 1919)

Film adaptations

* '' The Seven Sisters'', 1915, United States, directed by Sidney Olcott * '' A dolovai nábob leánya'', 1916, Austria-Hungary, directed by

Jenő Janovics Jenő Janovics (8 December 1872 – 16 November 1945) was a Hungarian film director, screenwriter and actor of the silent era. He directed 33 films between 1913 and 1920. He also wrote for 30 films between 1913 and 1918. He was the founder ...

and

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

* '' The Colonel'' (''Az ezredes''), 1917, Austria-Hungary, directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

* '' Erotikon'', 1920, Sweden, directed by Mauritz Stiller * '' Gyurkovicsarna'', 1920, Sweden, directed by John W. Brunius * '' A Sister of Six'', 1926, Sweden and Germany, directed by

Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius (1885–1970) was a Swedish screenwriter and film director. Hyltén-Cavallius was of the screenwriters of the 1924 Greta Garbo film ''The Saga of Gosta Berling''.Kwiatkowski p.29 He directed seven films including the 1926 ...

* ''

The Rakoczi March ''The Rakoczi March'' () is a 1933 drama film directed by Gustav Fröhlich and Steve Sekely and starring Fröhlich, Leopold Kramer and Camilla Horn. It was a International co-production, co-production between Austria, Germany and Hungary.Dassa ...

'' (''Rákóczi induló''), 1933, Austria and Hungary, directed by

Steve Sekely Steve Sekely (February 25, 1899 – March 9, 1979) was a Hungarian Jewish film director. Born István Székely, he was known by several names, based on his changing professional and immigration status, including Stefan Szekely. He directed films ...

* ''

Sensation Sensation (psychology) refers to the processing of the senses by the sensory system. Sensation or sensations may also refer to: In arts and entertainment In literature *Sensation (fiction), a fiction writing mode *Sensation novel, a British ...

'', 1936, Hungary, directed by

and Ladislao Vajda * '' Pogányok'', 1937, Hungary, directed by Emil Martonffy * '' The Blue Fox'' (''Der Blaufuchs''), 1938, Germany, directed by

Viktor Tourjansky Victor Tourjansky ( 4 March 1891 – 13 August 1976), born Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Turzhansky (), was a Russian actor, screenwriter and film director who emigrated after the Russian Revolution (1917), Russian Revolution of 1917. He worked in F ...

* '' The Gyurkovics Boys'', 1941, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza * '' L'ultimo ballo'', 1941, Italy, directed by

Camillo Mastrocinque Camillo Mastrocinque (11 May 1901 – 23 April 1969) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 60 films between 1937 and 1968, and is known to horror film fans for directing ''Terror in the Crypt'' (1964) starring ...

* '' Seven Sweethearts'', 1942, United States, directed by

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage ( né Borzaga; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Awards, Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director for his film ''7th Heaven ...

* '' Szíriusz'', 1942, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza * '' The Marsh Flower'', 1943, Hungary, directed by D. Ákos Hamza

References

External links

* * 1863 births 1954 deaths Hungarian writers Hungarian-German people People from Vršac Banat Swabians Writers from Austria-Hungary {{Hungary-writer-stub