Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)
Studies - Lehel Vadon: In Memoriam Péter Egri
According to the original plan the editor intended the present volume of Eger Journal of American Studies for Péter Egri to congratulate him and to celebrate the eminent scholar, the distinguished professor, the highly honored teacher and master, and his outstanding lifework on his 70th birthday. Fate frustrated our intention. He was in Eger on his last birthday but one having the keynote address at HUSSE 5 conference, lecturing on Joyce and Cage —literature and music —his beloved world of scholarship. As always, he, with his crystal-clear sound, accurate accent, elaborate presentation, the sound of music of his piano-playing, carried his hearers with him. When I was telling about his commemorative volume, he was happy. But soon bad news became known about his failing health and left us unnoticed. Thus the happy-birthday tribute turned into a memorial tribute. Péter Egri, professor of English and American literature, head of the English departments at Kossuth Lajos University, Debrecen, and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, was a nationally and internationally acknowledged expert on British, American and European literature, music, painting, and genre theory. He was a scholar of comparative literary and cultural studies whose major contribution was in the advancement of comparative methodology. His intertextual and cultural readings and writings in the context of European and Anglo-American culture opened up new perspectives. He was a respected representative of Hungarian culture and scholarship abroad, a visiting professor and researcher at the most famous American and English universities, and an inspiring teacher at home under whose supervision many generations of Hungarian scholars in English Studies wrote their MA and PhD theses. As a tutor, colleague, and friend he never forced his opinion on others, but listened attentively, trying to understand, convince, and help. 11
