A “South Transdanubian intellectual hub” – Dedicated books from the library of Tibor Tüskés (in the legacy of Mrs. Tibor Tüskés)

Abstract

Tibor Tüskés (1930–2009) was a secondary-school teacher, writer, critic, literary historian and editor. His library can be reconstructed in several parts. The library, which had been systematically expanded for several decades together with his first wife, Mrs. Tibor Tüskés née Anna Szemes (1930–2020), was split into two parts at the time of their divorce in 1989. In the study, the author presents the dedicated volumes published until 1989, that remained in the ownership of her grandmother, Mrs. Tibor Tüskés (who died on August 23, 2020), which, in its own fragmentation, gives an idea of her grandparents‘ former system of relationships. She describes the dedications to Tibor Tüskés and/or Mrs. Tibor Tüskés, by the author, translator, editor, writer of the foreword or epilogue (in some cases the author‘s widow), the artist whose works of art are included in the given volume, or by any other contributor to the publication. The connections and encounters that can be studied from the dedications complement Tibor Tüskés’ literary and fine arts orientation, which can be mapped primarily from his writings and correspondence. Some relationships can only be inferred from these dedications. Among the approximately one hundred and fifty dedications, there are those that mention a personal encounter, an event they experienced together, and there are also more or less stereotyped dedications. The seven groups of dedications the author has formed are as follows: the workshop in Pécs; poets, writers, translators known in connection with editing the magazine ̏Jelenkor˝“ in the second half of the 1950s and the first half of the 60s; relationships with peers in the 1970s and 1980s; Hungarian artists and photographers, architects, art historians; Hungarian writers, literary historians and artists from neighbouring countries; emigrant writers and artists; foreign writers, literary historians.

About a hundred and forty volumes from ninety authors, with dedications for Tibor Tüskés and some for Mrs. Tibor Tüskés, contain important information about the writer‘s biography and network of contacts that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Tüskés received these books partly as a gift — sometimes, it turns out, in exchange for the book he gave — and partly as a review copy. Most of the books were dedicated to Tüskés by their author, translator and editor in the year of their publication or a year or two later. In the first half of the 1960s, many new contacts and encounters were established in the spirit of editing the magazine ̏Jelenkor˝, and from 1973 in the spirit of the magazine ̏Somogy˝. The encounters during foreign trips – for example: 1973 Italy, 1974 Transylvania, 1977 Finland, 1980 Slovakia, 1983 Bulgaria and Italy – also resulted in several dedications, mainly by Hungarian writers and artists living abroad and in emigration. The presented dedications (only available in the online version) give a representative sample, but a fragmentary picture of Tibor Tüskés‘ network of contacts