Agria 43. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2007)

Sz. Király Júlia: Gárdonyi Géza történelemszemléletének pillérei

Júlia Sz. Király The Bases of Géza Gárdonyi

's Historical Outlook One of the great watersheds in Géza Gárdonyi's life took place in 1897 when he moved to Eger, turning his back on all that had characterised his previous career. Gárdonyi's "retreat" to the provinces, was a form of protest against what he considered to be the alienation of life in the capital, and the hypocrisy surrounding the celebration of the millennium. By adopting a life of seclusion Gárdonyi found a means of working which allowed him to pursue new themes and means of expression. Shortly after moving to Eger his thoughts turned to the writing of a great epic work. Despite throwing himself into the project, he soon realised that the history he had learned at school would not be enough to equip him for such a formidable genre. He nevertheless set about working on the elements necessary for the creation of a historical novel built on altogether different foundations. The three historical novels form a series, starting with Egri csillagok (a title variously translated as Eclipse of the Crescent Moon or The Stars of Eger), continuing with Láthatatlan ember (The Invisible Man) and finishing with Isten rabjai (Captives of God) The themes in his historical novels occupied Gárdonyi for many years. He returns to them again and again. He was diligent in his research into any particular period, to the extent of visiting the places in question during the course of his travels, while allowing his thoughts to materialise, mature and develop. His choice of topic was always made after much research work and careful consideration, the two founding principles in this new type of historical novel. Gárdonyi also only settled on his characters after much serious thought, presenting them in ever more involved and complex ways. The third important aspect of his historical novels is the creation and subsequent development of characters capable of providing a window into the historical period in question. The result was a period in history, drawn on such a broad canvas and with such profoundly human depth, that the more one sees of the heroes the more one learns about the age in question. Gárdonyi's three novels therefore are like lamps leading us into the murky depths of time. 763