Abstract
A Hungarian travel journal written by Rózsa G. Hajnóczy (1892-1944) in either the late 1930s or early 1940s, Bengáli tűz is a work that has gained acclaim among readers in both India and Bangladesh. In 1928, the author travelled to India while accompanying her husband, the famous Orientalist, Gyula Germanus (1884-1979), and she stayed there for three years while recording her personal experiences in journal entries which eventually provided the raw material for Bengáli tűz. In spite of having a very wide fan base of mainly female readers, Bengáli tűz is still not mentioned in the History of Hungarian Literature Lexicon, which raises the issue of why this work has not been included in the canon of Hungarian literature. Since some questions surround whether Hajnóczy actually wrote Bengáli tűz, I aim to explore the issues connected to the authorship of this work while examining it from a comparative cultural perspective via textual analysis. Hajnóczy's journal has an abundance of instances of interculturalism which make it relevant to current readers as well.
Highlights
A Hungarian travel journal written by Rózsa G
Bengáli tűz may look like just a simple travel journal, but when it is read, this work emerges as a balanced blend of drama, psychology and politics, making Hajnóczy’s journal a book filled with rich depictions of many cultures. (See below for a picture of the journal’s third edition in Hungarian.) Often described as a travel journal or novelistic voyage, Bengáli tűz depicts a period in the early twentieth century between the years 1928 and 1931, as portrayed by Rózsa G
While Hajnóczy stayed at this ashram for three years, she was exposed to Tagore’s teachings and her journal is an important document of her time in India and of the experiences she garnered while living in this experimental, innovative environment
Summary
A Hungarian travel journal written by Rózsa G. This interest stems from the fact that Hajnóczy’s journal is a rare example of a work written by a foreigner who came to live in India and ended up respecting India’s culture and religion at a time when a colonialist viewpoint was the norm.
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