Laszlo Cholnoky (1879-1929) was a talented prosaist belonging to the first generation of the journal Nyugat [The West]. His oeuvre fell into oblivion for some time, but recently it has started commanding renewed interest. This paper is a first attempt in the literature at introducing and characterizing Cholnoky's style. One of the main traits of Cholnoky's style is concretization of abstract mental processes or contents of consciousness. When the imagery of these concretizing metaphors involves an inanimate thing, property or event, we can speak of objectification; if it involves an animate (human) being, property or action, we have to do with personification or, in more elaborate cases, with allegorization. The author analyzes examples taken from Cholnoky's three best-written short novels, 'St. Bartholomew's night' (1916), 'Prikk's way to heaven' (1917), and 'Thomas' (1918). In conclusion, the paper deals with the novelist's position within the history of Hungarian styles. Cholnoky's style is a clear example of the developmental trend from Art Noveau via symbolism to surrealism. The author also raises the possibility of a parallel between Laszlo Cholnoky's and Attila Jozsef's world and style.
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