Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)
STUDIES - Lehel Vadon: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Hungary
Two Hungarian journals —that previously provided the most extensive coverage of Longfellow's artistic achievements —the Vasárnapi Újság and the Fővárosi Lapok carried obituaries to mark the poefs death. The Vasárnapi Újság recalling the highlights of the life and achievements of the "most popular poet of the century" eulogized him as "a religious man who accepted the present world order, a philanthrope who was devoted to furthering the interests of humanity, an optimist scholar who viewed the history of Christianity with pious reverence and as an impressionable spirit who was open to all elements of Eropean culture." 1 0 Imre Czakó and János Dömötör bid farewell on the same pages with the former's rendition of "A Day of Sunshine" and the latter's translation of "A Psalm of Life". 1 1 In his Fővárosi Lapok obituary Gyula Pékár recalled his personal encounter with Longfellow 1 2. On December 12, 1881 Pékár, then a high school student, visited the elderly poet in his Cambridge home near Harvard University which served as George Washington's headquarters during the War of Independence. Having signed Pekár's copies Longfellow astonishedly learned about the immense popularity of his poems in Hungary and recalled his personal encounter with the famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt whose portrait had been painted by the poet's friend while both visited the composer during Longfellow's European tour. The painting was displayed in Longfellow's home after his painter friend had offered it to him as a gift. As a measure of Liszt's appreciation of Longfellow's work he set one of his poems to music in 1874. The title of the cantata is Die Glocken des Strassburgen Münsters which was conducted by the composer in Budapest on March 10, 1875. 1 3 In 1897 Béla Szász one of the foremost Hungarian experts on Longfellow and the most prolific translator of his works authored the only anthology published to this day. In his inaugural address at the Hungarian 1 0 —á— r—, "Longfellow (1807-1882)," Vasárnapi Újság, 15 (1882): pp. 225—226. 1 1 Imre Czakó, Egy napsugár, János Dömötör, Az élet zsoltára, Vasárnapi Újság 15 (1882): p. 226. ^ Gyula Pékár, "Látogatás Longfellownál," Fővárosi Lapok, 15 (1882): p. 490. ^ Zenei Lexikon. Vol II. (Budapest: Zeneműkiadó Vállalat, 1965), p. 475. 132
