1814-1878
Hungarian dramatist Ede Szigligeti was born József Szathmáry on this date in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now the town where he was born is located in present-day Romania. His parents wanted him to become a priest; he, however, wanted to be a doctor. He wound up instead an apprentice engineer. He had developed a love of drama as a child, and despite his father reportedly being a tyrant who hated the theater, Szigligeti appeared on the stage in 1834 in Budapest. Because of this, his father forbade him the use the family name, so he changed it. The name he chose came from a romance drama that he loved. While barely supporting himself, he dove deeper into the world of theater and began to sketch plays for himself. He gained the attention of Hungarian theater connoisseurs, who helped him and encouraged him to write more. Finally in 1840, he was rewarded when one of his full length plays was produced by the newly found Hungarian Academy, starring the wife writer M. Jókai, Rosa Laborfalvy. The production was well received and quite successful. It also made Szigligeti famous. He would go on to be elected to two dramatic academies, pen many full length plays in several genres; and would become not just the leading Hungarian playwright, but also a mentor to younger up and coming dramatists. In addition to his own original writing, he also translated Goethe from the German and Shakespeare from English into Hungarian. Some of his own plays were likewise translated into German. In regards to film, 9 films have been produced using his plays as source material, 4 of them were made during the silent era. The first of these, A csikós was released in 1913 and was a Hungarian production. In fact, all four films were made in his home country of Hungary; they are: A szökött katona (1915), Liliomfi (1915) and A. cigány (1925). The most recent film made from his work came in 1993, a version of the same play filmed in 1925; it was produced for Hungarian television. Szigligeti died in Budapest on Januray 19 in 1878 at the age of 63. He is buried there in the Fiumei úti Nemzeti Sírkert (National Cemetery in Fiumei Street).
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1825-1904
Hungarian writer Mór Jókai was born Móric Jókay de Ásva in Komárom, Hungary (the town is now located in Slovakia) on this date in 1825. He had nobility on both sides of his family. He was home schooled until the age of 10, after which he was sent to a Calvinist college to complete his education. After his father died when he was only 12, he followed his father's profession and studied the law. He did become a full advocate; argued and won cases; but he found the law profession dull and boring, so he began writing. He finished his first play when he was barely past the age of twenty. In 1848, he married famed stage actress Róza Laborfalvi. When war broke out that same year, he went into the service, but backed the Hungarian side to depose the Habsburg dynasty and was captured. He actually planned to commit suicide to avoid being sent to prison, however he wife was able to secure his release instead. He was after wards active in politics, especially later in life. Amongst other accomplishments in his life, he can be counted as one of the earliest science fiction pioneers; his book (translated) The Novel Of The Next Century was oddly prophetic and included elements, such as flying machines. He was proud to write in his native Hungarian language and was very much tied up with his Hungarian identity. The first film to be made from his writings came in 1915 with The Hungarian Nabob, an American film produced by Biograph (it would be one of the only English language films to be made of his work as of this writing). Biograph also produced another film from his work a year later: The Iron Will (1916). The first film to be produced in his native Hungary came in 1917 with Mire megvénülünk (a partial restored edition is available today). In all, 13 films using his work as source material were produced in the silent era. The first full sound film to utilize his work came in 1935 with the German produced The Gypsy Baron: a musical. Even animated films have used his writing for scenarios, such as the 1985 Hungarian film The Treasure Of Swamp Castle. The most recent film to use his work for a screenplay, came in 2006, with the Hungarian made for television Melyiket a kilenc közül?. Jókai died on 5 May 1904 in Budapest at the age of 79. He is buried with his wife in Kerepesi Cemetery there.
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