Géza Szőcs facts for kids
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Géza Szőcs
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Géza Szőcs (2011)
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| Secretary of State for Culture of the Ministry of National Resources | |
| In office 2 June 2010 – 13 June 2012 |
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| Minister | Miklós Réthelyi Zoltán Balog |
| Succeeded by | László L. Simon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 August 1953 Târgu Mureș, People's Republic of Romania |
| Died | 5 November 2020 (aged 67) Budapest, Hungary |
| Political party | RMDSZ |
| Profession | poet, politician |
Géza Szőcs (born August 21, 1953 – died November 5, 2020) was a well-known Hungarian poet and politician. He was from Transylvania, a region in Romania. Géza Szőcs served as the Secretary of State for Culture in Hungary from June 2, 2010, to June 13, 2012. In this important role, he helped manage and promote arts and culture for the country.
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Life Story of Géza Szőcs
Géza Szőcs was born in Târgu Mureș, Romania. His father, István Szőcs, was a Hungarian writer and translator. His mother, Ráchel Márton, was also a literary translator. Géza Szőcs studied at the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca until 1979. He even received a scholarship to study in Vienna, Austria, for a year.
Early Career and Challenges
Géza Szőcs became involved in publishing a secret Hungarian-language newspaper called Ellenpontok (meaning "Counterpoints"). Because of this, he was questioned and mistreated by the Securitate, which was the secret police of the government at that time.
From 1986 to 1989, Géza Szőcs moved to Switzerland for political reasons. There, he worked as a journalist in Geneva. Later, between 1989 and 1990, he led the Budapest studio for Radio Free Europe, a news organization. In 1989, he also joined the team of the magazine Magyar Napló.
Return to Politics in Romania and Hungary
In 1990, Szőcs returned to Cluj, Romania. He became very active in the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ). He served as a senator in the Senate of Romania from 1990 to 1992.
From 1993 to 2010, he worked as an editor for the magazine A Dunánál in Hungary. He also helped edit Magyar Szemle magazine and was part of the board overseeing the Hungarian state television, Magyar Televízió (MTV). In 1996, he helped start the Hungarian Civic Cooperation Association.
Role as Secretary of State
In May 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appointed Géza Szőcs as Hungary's Secretary of State for Culture. In 2011, he was chosen to be the president of the Hungarian Pen Club, an organization for writers. He left his government position in June 2012 and was replaced by László L. Simon. After that, Szőcs became a chief cultural adviser to Prime Minister Orbán.
In 2013, he was put in charge of the Hungarian pavilion for Expo 2015, a big international exhibition. This project involved a lot of public money, and the design of the building, called the "Shaman drum," received some criticism. In 2018, Szőcs was again appointed Prime Ministerial Commissioner for Culture.
Personal Life
Géza Szőcs had five children.
In October 2020, he became sick with COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic. He was taken to a hospital in Budapest and was in serious condition. Géza Szőcs passed away on November 5, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19.
Published Works
- Te mentél át a vízen? Bucharest, Kriterion, 1975.
- Kilátótorony és környéke Bucharest, Kriterion, 1977.
- Párbaj, avagy a huszonharmadik hóhullás Cluj-Napoca, 1979.
- A szélnek eresztett bábu Budapest, Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1986.
- Az uniformis látogatása New York City, Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, 1987.
- Kitömött utcák, hegedűk Köln-Budapest, Literarische Briefe/Irodalmi levelek, 1988.
- A sirálybőr cipő Budapest, Magvető, 1989.
- Históriák a küszöb alól Budapest, Szépirodalmi Kiadó, 1990.
- A vendégszerető avagy Szindbád Marienbadban Budapest, Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1992.
- A kisbereki böszörmények Cluj-Napoca, Erdélyi Híradó, 1995.
- Ki cserélte el a népet? Cluj-Napoca, Erdélyi Híradó, 1996.
- Passió Budapest, Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1999.
- Drámák, hangjátékok Budapest, Kortárs kiadó, 2002.
- A magyar ember és a zombi Budapest, Kortárs Kiadó 2003. ISBN: 963-9297-82-8
- Liberté 1956 Budapest, A Dunánál 2006. ISBN: 973-7648-07-2
- Limpopo Budapest, Magvető 2007. ISBN: 978-963-14-2554-3
- Beszéd a palackból Arad, Irodalmi Jelen Könyvek, 2008.
- Amikor fordul az ezred (Beszélgetőkönyv és dokumentumgyűjtemény; Sz. G. és Farkas Wellmann Endre) Budapest, Ulpius-ház, 2009.
- Nyestbeszéd (Szőcs Géza 33 verse Faludy György válogatásában) Budapest, Ulpius-ház, 2010.
- Tasso Marchini és Dsida Jenő Budapest, Szent István Társulat, 2010.
- La missione di Rasputin-Raszputyin küldetése Novara, Arcipelago Edizioni, ISBN: 978-88-7695-510-5
Awards and Recognition
- 1976 - Writers' Union of Romania Debut Award
- 1986 - Robert Graves Prize
- 1986 - Milán Füst Prize
- 1990 - Book of the Year
- 1992 - Tibor Déry Prize
- 1993 - Gabriel Bethlen Prize
- 1993 - Attila József Prize
- 2006 - Award for Hungarian Art
- 2008 - Writers' Union of Romania's Award for Limpopo
- 2009 - Prize of the European Academy of Vienna
