Jenő Rejtő facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jenő Rejtő
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| Born | Jenő Reich 29 March 1905 Budapest, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 1 January 1943 (aged 37) Evdakovo, Voronezh Oblast Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Novelist, dramatist |
| Notable works | A láthatatlan légió, A tizennégy karátos autó, Piszkos Fred, a kapitány, A három testőr Afrikában, A szőke ciklon |
Jenő Rejtő (born March 29, 1905 – died January 1, 1943) was a Hungarian writer. He wrote exciting adventure stories, plays, and worked as a journalist. Sadly, he died while forced to work during World War II.
Contents
Early Life of Jenő Rejtő
Jenő Rejtő was born in Budapest, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, on March 29, 1905. His parents were Áron Reich Lipót and Wolf Ilona. He also had two brothers, Lajos and Gyula.
As a child, Jenő was often sick. But he still took boxing and acting classes. He also enjoyed writing poetry. He finished drama school in 1924. After that, he traveled a lot around Europe.
Jenő Rejtő's Writing Career
After his travels, Jenő Rejtő started working as a playwright in Hungary. One of his most famous works was an operetta called Aki mer, az nyer (Who Dares Wins), which came out in 1934.
Later, he began writing adventure novels. These stories were often based on his own trips and experiences abroad. He had a very unique and funny writing style.
Popular Novels and Pseudonym
His most popular novels were written under the pen name P. Howard. These books often made fun of the French Foreign Legion, a real military group. His best-known novels mixed exciting detective stories with romance and lots of humor.
Jenő Rejtő also wrote novels that were like American Westerns. He created many short, funny plays for cabarets too. He even edited the only edition of a newspaper called Nagykörút (Grand Boulevard).
Jenő Rejtő's Final Years
From 1939, Jenő Rejtő could not publish his books under his own name. This was because of his family background. On October 9, 1942, a newspaper article said he was Jewish. It also claimed he was avoiding military service.
At this time, Jenő was very ill. But he was taken from the hospital by force. He was sent to work on the eastern front, in the Soviet Union. He died there in Evdakovo on January 1, 1943.
Jenő Rejtő's Lasting Legacy
After World War II, during the early years of communism, it was hard to find Jenő Rejtő's books. You could only buy old copies on the black market. But from the 1960s, his novels were printed again. They quickly became very popular in Hungary.
Books, Films, and Comics
Some of his books have been made into films and comic books. The comic book versions, drawn by Pál Korcsmáros, are considered classics in Hungary. When he was writing, Rejtő often visited the Cafe Japan in Budapest. It was close to his publisher, Nova. He would pay for his coffee by writing lines on napkins. These notes were then taken to Nova, bought, and put together into stories.
Jenő Rejtő is still remembered in Budapest today. In 2001, a street was named after him. In 2003, there was an exhibition about him at the Petőfi Museum of Literature. In 2005, his picture appeared on a Hungarian postage stamp. There was also a plan to build a statue of him in Budapest.
Jenő Rejtő's Works
The original Hungarian versions of Rejtő's many books are now free for anyone to use. This happened on January 1, 2014. This date was 70 years after the January 1st following his death. His most famous books are his Foreign Legion stories and his "Dirty Fred" series.
English Translations of Jenő Rejtő's Books
Here are some of his books that have been translated into English:
- One Fool Makes A Hundred (Egy bolond száz bajt csinál)
- Quarantine at the Grand Hotel (Vesztegzár a Grand Hotelben), Corvina: ISBN: 9789631358148
- The 14-Carat Roadster (A tizennégy karátos autó)
- The Blonde Hurricane (A szőke ciklon)
- The Embezzled Bank Teller (Az elsikkasztott pénztáros)
- The Frontier Garrison (Az előretolt helyőrség), Macon: Etalon Press, 2014, ISBN: 9781940872001 (Kindle); ISBN: 9781940872018, LCCN 2014930851 (print)
The Dirty Fred Series
All four "Dirty Fred" novels are available in English:
- The Lost Cruiser (Az elveszett cirkáló)
- Dirty Fred, the Captain (Piszkos Fred, a kapitány)
- Dirty Fred Intervenes (Piszkos Fred közbelép)
- The Found Cruiser (A megkerült cirkáló)
Other Popular Works (Not Translated into English)
Here is a selection of his other popular works:
- Az elátkozott part (The Cursed Shore)
- A három testőr Afrikában (The Three Musketeers in Africa)
- Csontbrigád (Bone Brigade)
- A láthatatlan légió (The Invisible Legion)
- Az ellopott futár (The Stolen Courier)
- Texas Bill, a fenegyerek (Texas Bill, the Daredevil)
- Pokol a hegyek között (Hell among the Hills)
- Megyek Párizsba ahol még nem haldokoltam (I'll go to Paris, where I've never been dying)
