According to a popular anecdote recounted by Ede Teller, Hungarian-Americans' were often called Martians for being aliens of the community at the time. These Martians have contributed notably not only to the visual arts in Hollywood, and to science in the atomic age, but also to architecture around the world. Martians with Slide-rules reported about the contributions of ten Hungarians, who were well-known international figures in their time, but their work remained unknown in Hungary.
Five Hungarian-born author-illustrators who enjoyed, and continue to enjoy great success in the American and/or British market, but are not known in Hungary. Our list features authors who have won international art and publishing or library association awards for their writing or illustrations, with some turned into TV shows, cartoons, or other information programs. Many of their works remain in print, and are popular readings for young and old alike. Even with colorful international careers, their work shows strong ties to Hungary and the Hungarians. All these authors wrote and illustrated picture books, children's readers or folk tale collections with Hungarian characters or themes. Their retellings of Hungarian folk and fairy lore are illustrated by lavish, unique imagery.
Willy Pogány
(1882, Szeged – 1955, New York, USA)
Vilmos András Pogány graphic artist, sculptor and architect emigrated to England in 1906, then to the US in 1914. He designed sets and worked as an art director on Broadway in the 30's and 40's, creating the costumes and backdrops to many ballets. His work was discovered by major movie companies. He worked as art director for United Artists, Universal, Fox and the Chaplin Studios as well. His pieces can be seen in museums across the US, Canada, and even in the collection of the National Gallery in Budapest.
Pogány studied to become an engineer, but soon switched to art. He never earned a degree. He wished to create art based on his own concepts, not according to someone else's norms. He took a train to Paris, where he survived by drawing caricatures. He moved to London, New York, Hollywood, and then back to The Big Apple, where he taught, painted murals and worked for various publishing companies. He illustrated Padriac Colum's The Golden Fleece and The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles (1922). The book received the prestigious Newbery Honor award from the Association for Library Service to Children for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. (To this day, Newbery Awards are the most significant children's book awards in the United States.)
Pogány illustrated hundreds of children's books, among them a classic Mother Goose collection, as well as many volumes of poetry for children. Hungarian readers should find his illustrations to Rosika Schwimmer's Tisza Tales (1928), and his brother Nándor's Hungarian Fairy Tales (1913, 1930) of special interest. He also created art for Homer, as well as Arabian, German, Norwegian, Turkish and Persian myths, various tales of American children, and Alice in Wonderland.
Willy Pogány's illustrations, advertisements, magazine covers: 1 2 3
Miska Petersham
(1888, Törökszentmiklós - 1960, Woodstock, USA)
Mihály Petrezselyem started drawing at the age of seven. His family lived in poverty, but he still managed to spend summers in Italy, where he painted, studied and starved. He lived in England and then followed a rich friend to the United States in 1912. He soon felt at home in his new country thanks to the good natured Americans and relatively large number of Hungarian immigrants. Following World War I, he found little work as an immigrant from a former enemy nation until publishing legend May Massee gave him and his wife Maud work at the Doubleday, then at the Viking publishing houses' children's book departments. Their series, "The Petersham Books" were some of the best early examples of information books.
Maud and Miska received the Caldecott Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children for the most distinguished picture book for children for The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles (1946). An American ABC (1942) received the Caldecott Honor award. Their charming book Miki (1929) was inspired by the couple's son, we see his imagined adventures in a lively, fun picture book. They wrote two additional Miki books, where the young boy travels with his niece and relatives.
A few book by the Petershams: 1 2
Kate Seredy
(1896, Budapest - 1975, New York, USA)
Katalin Seredy grew up in Budapest in a wealthy family. Her father was an educated school teacher. World War I interrupted her art studies since she served as a nurse in the war. She arrived in New York in 1922 after travels in Europe. Like the Petershams, she had a hard life before being discovered: she painted lamp shades and postcards to get by. Eventually, May Massee found (and according to anecdotes, fed her), who then worked for Massee at Viking.
She illustrated hundreds of children's books and textbooks; her own writing focuses on Hungarian themes. Of her twelve novels and picture books, The Good Master (1936) and The Singing Tree (1944) won Newbery Honors, the The White Stag (1938) the Newbery Medal. The former two books tell the story of city girl Kate and country boy Jancsi. The illustrations are great examples of Seredy's engaging style. Stag is a retelling of the ancient Hungarian myth of the miracle stag and of Attila's legend. While sometimes a little heavy-handed, the story itself remains of great value for its moving, often monumental images. Seredy's books are in print as part of the Puffin Newbery Library series. Seredy also illustrated some of the greatest Amerikai children's books of the time, among them the Newbery-winning classic, Carol Ryrie Brink's Caddie Woodlawn (1936).
Seredy illustration, books: 1 2
Val Biro
(1921, Budapest - )
Bálint István Biró's father was an attorney, his mother a 'thoroughly modern woman'. He studied at a strict Cistercian school. He decided to become an artist after a cruel beating he received for a caricature of one of his teachers. He immigrated to England in 1939, then studied at a London art school, with illustration as his emphasis. He worked for a local publisher in the 40's. His early works include etchings and lithogaphs. Between 1948-53 Biro worked at the New Penguin Writing magazine, that ended up as a casualty of it's own quality. He became a freelance artist in 1953. He designed countless book covers.
Later he became an illustrator for the prestigious Radio Times. He illustrated hundreds of books, including Aesop, Andersen, Shakespeare; stories, folk tales and textbooks. Biro published the Hungarian folk tale The Honest Thief (1973) and illustrated the Oxford University Press' Hungarian Folk-Tales (1980). His name is known to readers today, too, from his Gumdrop series, that are still in print. Gumdrop was Biro's 1926 Austin Clifton, in which the reader can follow the adventures of the car, its owner and his dog throughout the series' 37 books. Seven animated movies also signal the success of the Gumdrop books. Val Biro lives with his family in England.
The family's has an own official Val Biro website with a detailed bio, illustration and a guest book.
Victor G. Ambrus
(1935, Budapest - )
Győző Ambrus grew up in a large family in Budapest. The children spent the summers in the country, Ambrus himself noted that his colors originate from the lively memories of these vacations. He immigrated to England in 1956. After finishing his studies in art, he became an artist for the Oxford University Press. His work shows a preference for clear colors. In interviews of his work, he highlights the cheerful use of colors as a signature element. He has illustrated nearly three hundred books, among them fairy tale collections. The Glass Man and the Golden Bird: Hungarian Folk and Fairy Tales (1968) is a retelling of Hungarian folk tales. His Mishka (1975) picture book is a humorous tale of a little boy at a circus.
He won the British equivalent of the American Caldecott picture book award for The Three Poor Tailors (1965), and for Horses in Battle (1975). Even though he illustrated many fiction titles, he is best known for his work in information books. His knowledge and interest in history and archaeology (not to mention his award-winning work) earned him a spot on the popular Channel 4 series Time Team for years. Ambrus lives in England with his family.
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