Balázs Birtalan facts for kids
Balázs Birtalan (born October 12, 1969 – died May 14, 2016) was a Hungarian writer, poet, and public speaker. He was also a psychotherapist, which means he helped people with their thoughts and feelings. Balázs Birtalan was well-known for his work in creating welcoming Christian communities in Hungary. His father was the poet Ferenc Birtalan.
Balázs started writing poems when he was just ten years old. He published his writings regularly from the age of 14. He went to Eötvös József High School in Budapest and finished in 1988. Even though he wasn't raised in a religious family, he became a Christian in 1989. This was a very important moment for him, and he was baptized as a Roman Catholic a week later.
Between 1990 and 1992, he studied theology (the study of religious beliefs) at the Esztergom College of Theology. He joined a Christian group, but he was later asked to leave. This experience led him and his friends to start a movement in Hungary. Their goal was to create Christian communities where everyone felt accepted and included. They founded groups called Bíborpalást ("Scarlet Robe") and Öt Kenyér ("Five Loaves of Bread"). Balázs was very active in these groups for over ten years.
In 1995 and 1996, he studied psychology (the study of the mind) at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. He also learned English and Esperanto, an international language. For a while, he sold books and CDs. He also taught English. Later, he worked at a notary public's office, helping to prepare legal documents. In 2005–2006, he completed special training to become a psychotherapist.
In 2005, Balázs started a blog where he wrote about many topics. These included religion, how to communicate kindly, sustainable development (living in a way that protects the environment for the future), literature, and psychology. A collection of his blog essays was published as a book in 2008. After 2009, he no longer considered himself a Christian. His online names, Feanor and Izmael, were inspired by two authors who greatly influenced his thinking: J. R. R. Tolkien and Daniel Quinn.
Balázs Birtalan's Writings
From 1983 onwards, many of Balázs Birtalan's poems, articles, and essays appeared in different magazines and newspapers. These included:
- Children's and young adult magazines like (Kincskereső, Ifjúsági Magazin, Magyar Ifjúság)
- Daily newspapers such as (Népszabadság, Népszava) and weekly papers like (Kapu, Magyar Narancs)
- Literary and cultural journals, for example, (Élet és Irodalom, Mozgó Világ, Új Tükör)
- Specialist magazines like (Fundamentum, Közjegyzők Közlönye, Mások)
- Church magazines including (Egyházfórum, Keresztény Szó, Marana Tha, Mérleg, Új Ember)
His first collection of poems, called B változat ("Version B"), was published in 1995. He also wrote other poems, such as:
- A Garland of Memories – A Crown of Sonnets (1992)
- Poems, (1992–1996)
- Poems (from 2005 onwards)
- Artificial Flowers on the Altar of Symbolism (2009)
In late 2008, a book of his essays titled Dried Plums at Sunset – Meme Stories was published. This book was put together from his blog posts. It covered many different subjects, like his own life experiences, sustainable development, kind communication, psychology, and even topics like Harry Potter and how society can be more accepting.
After he passed away, a full collection of his blog posts was published in 2017. This large book was called Without a Script and was over 1,000 pages long. The famous psychologist Tamás Vekerdy wrote a recommendation for it.
Working for Acceptance
Between 1995 and 2003, Balázs Birtalan actively worked to promote understanding and acceptance within Christian communities. He wanted to help both religious groups become more welcoming and for people in other communities to be more open to religious beliefs.
In 1997, he published a book called Halállal lakoljanak? ("Shall They Be Put to Death?"). A documentary film with the same name was made in 2003, focusing on Balázs and his work. He gave many talks on this topic at different conferences. A shorter version of his book, called Válaszd az életet! ("Choose Life!"), was published in 2004. This version was written from a Protestant Christian point of view.
His Passing
Balázs Birtalan passed away on May 14, 2016. He had been battling cancer for three years.
