Istvánovits Eszter (szerk.): A nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 57. (Nyíregyháza, 2015)
Irodalomtörténet - Dr. Rácz Magdolna: Ilosvay Ferenc (1914-1990). A szülőföld és a természet szerelmese
Ilosvay Ferenc (1914-1990) Szitha 2004b. Szitha Mária: Ilosvay Ferenc levelezése íróbarátaival. Örökségünk Kiadó, Nyíregyháza 2004. D. Rácz Magdolna Jósa András Múzeum H-4401 Nyíregyháza Pf. 57 e-mail: damne@jam.nyirbone.hu Ferenc Ilosvay (1914—1990) Lover of homeland and nature Ferenc Ilosvay was born in Budapest, but he had strong roots bounding him to the Nyírség. Memories of his childhood connected him with Nyírábrány, memories of youth to Nagykálló. Love of nature, hunting, devotion and passion for writing made his life complete. Out of his literary activity, this article would like to represent the beauty of his works connected with nature and homeland. These works are characterised by individual intonation, tale-telling, animated, amusing language full of humour, folk phrases, dialectic and idiomatic expressions. Ilosvay was the master of writer’s tools. His style sometimes rises to lyric heights. All his short stories are so fresh and lively as if he just recorded a moment of the present. All his words radiate the adoration of nature and competence. The latter is easily explainable, for his vocation was protection and love of nature. He graduated in Sopron from the Faculty of Forestry, later in Gödöllő he deepened his knowledge on zoology and botany. This was supplemented by his extraordinary perceptibility and writing talent. In his works he almost amalgamates with the homeland, the nature. He could be a hunter writer, but he was more than that. He was a teacher of morality. He taught respect and humility towards humans, animals and plants. In his writings he underlined the significance of man’s creative, protecting work. “Killing is the simplest thing. Hunting is a wisely overthought responsibility felt with your heart.” Ferenc Ilosvay felt this responsibility all his life. Hunter’s etics was his moral measure. He followed the path in a disciplined and attentive way. His art of chorography is fascinating. He enchanted his readers with the magic of the nature in different parts of the country. His writings about our land is the magic of love. His words show us not only the bodies of local animals, but we can hear their voices and get acquainted with their milieu. If we did not know his life story, we could think that he had a beautiful, peaceful life. However, the writer’s life was not a fairy tale. He descended to hell for several times. In the autumn of 1944 Gestapo arrested him because of his anti-war views. He spent almost a year in concentration camps. Then, in 1949 he was accused and arrested for clerical and anti-Soviet conspiracy. He worked in internment camps and after 1956 emigrated. However, nothing could stagger his great spirit and love towards his homeland and nature. Wherever he went in the world, he always compared these places to his home landscape, in his spirit he never left his motherland. He left his soul here 309
