Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)

Studies - Mária Kurdi: "Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain." On the Scholarly Heritage of Péter Egri (1932-2002)

kind of insight into the discontinuous and shredded history of Hungarian literary criticism during the last four decades of the twentieth century, a period of paralyzing restrictions and then considerable transformations in the intellectual life of this part of Europe. They show a pervasive interest in generic and comparative studies combined with the influence of a liberal form of Marxism at the beginning, which gives way to an axiologically based approach and interdisciplinary-oriented cultural criticism later. Without totally erasing the precedents though, which is fortunate from the point of view of organic development remaining a main characteristic of Egri's scholarly oeuvre. If "the magic hand of chance" (Keats 152) had allowed him more years to live, Péter Egri may have continued his work in the field of contemporary English-speaking drama, perhaps writing a monographic study of Stoppard or Beckett, or both, but it is difficult to surmise. Certain it is, however, that to the very end he retained the remarkable versatility of his scholarly interests: in fall 2002 he was to participate as speaker in a conference dedicated to the fiction of Tibor Déry, an important subject of Egri's research at the beginning of his career. Sadly, death intervened in September of the same year, causing a great loss to the professions of literary study and academic education in Hungary and also outside Hungary. His paper, planned to revisit and most probably re-evaluate Déry so many years after the publication of his book about that writer, was never presented. Having become complete by his yet untimely death, the "fullripen'd grain" of Egri's literary scholarship is now held by the studies and books he published. Through their analytical strengths which point into several directions while they present new findings, his works reflect and build on the rarely achieved unity of scholar and teacher in one person, who possessed an exceptional confidence in the analysis not only of literature, but also the other arts. The knowledge the writings incorporate and store informs and enriches the readers as well as challenges them by enhancing awareness of undiscovered or uncharted territories in scholarship, worthy of further exploration and analysis. Undeniably, considering certain trains of thought, assertions, examples or conclusions in the books and studies the reader may disagree with the author and feel it necessary to turn toward modes of 35