The Vicissitudes of Twentieth Century Hungarian Adepts, from the Austro- Hungarian Monarchy, through World Wars, Revolutions, Communism to Intellectual Liberation
The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture May 1, 2023 DOI: 10.4467/24506249pj.23.003.18996 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | The paper argues that twentieth-century Hungarian esotericism, exemplified by Baktay, Hamvas, and Szepes, was shaped by Theosophy and Indian mysticism, was disrupted by fascism and World War II, and persisted largely underground during the communist era, with these figures finding ways to express themselves and attract followers despite official suspicion and silencing. |
Abstract
My paper maps the most important representatives of the occult and esoteric currents in twentieth century Hungary. Their works and tes- timonies encompass the genesis of modern esotericism in Hungary, but their careers also demonstrate the catastrophic watershed caused by fascism and the Second World War, only to be continued (however mostly secretly) during the communist era. The paper first provides an overview of the development of major esoteric trends in modern Hungary (from the late nineteenth century to the time of the regime change in 1989), then focuses on three outstanding seekers of holistic enlightenment: Ervin Baktay (1890‒1963), Béla Hamvas (1897‒1968), Mária Szepes (1908‒2007). All three developed their philosophy after WWI; all were influenced by Theosophy and Indian mysticism; all were scholars of various fields of the humanities, at the same time as being writers of “belle lettres” – poetry as well as fiction. After WWII, all three were looked at with suspicion and were silenced; however, they also found ways of expressing themselves and gathering disciples in various interesting ways.