A few weeks ago, I saw an announcement of a contest in honor of the Hungarian poet Sándor Weöres (1913-1989), hosted by the Maradok duo. Contestants could submit either a poem or an essay, either of which was to reflect on one of his poems. Since I had been thinking every day, throughout the day, of “Szembe-fordított tükrök” (and had covered it on cello), I decided to write an essay about it (in Hungarian). My colleague Marianna Fekete kindly corrected the text for me before I sent the essay in. I asked her to make only necessary corrections. I didn’t want the content, style, or expressions to be changed; I knew the essay would not read as though written by a Hungarian, and that was fine. Most of the corrections had to do with word order. In a few cases, she corrected a word or phrase.
I didn’t win. But my essay will be included in the Weöres anthology! This will be my first publication in Hungarian, alongside many essays and poems that I look forward to reading. If you read Hungarian, order a copy! It’s only 2,500 forints plus postage.
The poem has been resounding in my mind throughout the day, every day. It has associations with Platon Karataev’s song “Létra,” the film Magasságok és melységek, and a book I recently read; it has come up in conversation; and I have carried it alone.
Take Away the Takeaway 
veronikakisfalvi4972
/ February 25, 2023Congratulations! I am sure you worked long and hard on this text, and I hope enjoyably too. Reading almost anything in Hungarian these days (except for very simple texts) is very frustrating for me, unfortunately. Getting old(er)…
Diana Senechal
/ February 26, 2023Thank you! I was so immersed in it that I don’t know how long or hard it was. I think it was a relatively short time (approximately a full day), but the thoughts had been in my mind for a while.