New Order

(AUTHORS) ISTVAN KEMENY entered university to study law, but switched to Hungarian literature and history, graduating in these subjects in 1993. In his early poetry collections he continued the prevailing trends of decadence and symbolism. He won two literary prizes while still in his twenties. Kemeny also writes short prose pieces in which he addresses moral questions in a sober style: human indifference, environmental pollution, God's thoughts about the world. The early volumes of Kemeny's poetry caused a positive explosion on the literary scene and particularly in the universities. His titles are revealing: Circular Staircase to the Forgotten Departments (1984), Playing with Poisons and Anti-Poisons (1987), The Art of the Enemy (a novella, 1989) and Themes from the Film Rococo (short stories, 1991). His poetic and prose forms revealed a need for a kind of classicism and, for a while, a new type of symbolism and sensibility. In his poems Kemeny repeatedly makes us face up to the fragility of everyday language. SZILARD BORBELY was born in the east of Hungary in 1964, and has won a series of major literary awards for his work, including the Palladium Prize (2005). It was his third book of poems, Long Day Away (1993) that drew the attention of celebrated writers such as Peter Esterhazy and Peter Nadas. His next The Splendours of Death (2004) was recognised as one of the most important Hungarian books of the decade. All the poems here are taken from his 2003 book Berlin-Hamlet, a single work comprised of Allegories, Fragments, Letters, and poems based on specific locations in Berlin. ANDRAS IMREH was born in Budapest in 1966 where he still lives. After working as a language teacher and living in Mexico for a year he is now a free-lance poet and translator. He translates poetry from English, French and Spanish including the work of Robert Frost, W. B. Yeats, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney, Shakespeare and J. L. Borges among others. His own books of poetry include That Which Has Two Names (Hungarian), Cancion de cuna (Spanish) and Salut poetes (French): at the time of writing, he is completing his new book, Strange Love. His poems have been translated into several languages and he has received a number of literary awards for his poetry and translations, including the Jozsef Attila, the Vas Istvan and the Graves awards. He works as editor of Nagyvilag (Big World) literary magazine which publishes contemporary literature translated into Hungarian. He gives classes on poetry and translation and has recently started publishing essays. MONIKA MESTERHAZI was born in 1967 and has a PhD in Modern English Literature. She works as a teacher of English and Hungarian and has extensive translation experience, having translated poetry by, among others, Simon Armitage, Elizabeth Bishop and Seamus Heaney, radio plays, fiction and non-fiction. She has published three volumes of poetry in Hungary and is published in the UK in the Winter 03 issue of Poetry Wales. KRISZTINA TOTH is one of the most highly-acclaimed Hungarian poets. She is the winner of several awards, including the Graves Prize (1996), Dery Tibor Prize (1996), Jozsef Attila Prize (2000) and her poetry has been translated into many languages. Her poems have strong connections with different Hungarian and European poetic traditions (she translates French poetry), their trademark being a subtle combination of strong visual elements, intellectual reflection and a very empathic, yet often ironic concern for everyday scenes, conflicts and people. Since the publication of her first collection of short stories in 2006 she has been listed amongst the best contemporary writers of Central Europe. Krisztina Toth lives in Budapest where, apart from writing and translating poetry, she designs and produces stained glass windows. She was recently awarded the Laureate Prize, one of the highest recognitions in Hungarian literature. www.tothkrisztina.hu VIRAG ERDOS was born in Budap

Introduction ISTVAN KEMENY: Biography / Grand Monologue / Some Words on Blood / Hide and Seek / Elves' Morning Song / My Father's Friends / The Bee-keeper / Dream with Several Unknown Factors / The Silent H SZILARD BORBELY: Biography / [Allegory I] / [Allegory IV] / [Epilogue II] / [Fragment II] / [Fragment VIII] / [Fragment X] / [Letter I] / [Letter II] [Letter VI] ANDRAS IMREH: Biography / Sunday Morning / Light Bedding / Trees with White Trunks / Lullaby / The Blackbird / Languages We don't speak / Compost / The Bright Boys / Afternoon / Set to go / Sonnet MONIKA MESTERHAZI: Biography / Time and Space / Assuming / Gravity / In Sunlight / Sandstone / Wild Chestnut / Wind / Journal / Once upon a Time / Sors Bona KRISZTINA TOTH: Biography / The Year of Snows / The Experiment / On the Nature of Love / On the Nature of Pain / Metro Trains in Contrary Directions / File / Tram Depot / East-Europe Triptych / Dog / After a Mouse / Map / Shadowgrass / Full Moon VIR G ERDOS: Biography / Portrait / The Sky above Josephstadt / Aliens / A Lying Tale / Vision (Game Over) / JANOS TEREY: Biography / Canaletto's Glimpse / What would have happened, if / The Circus / The Encyclopaedia of Motherland / Regret / Hungarian Bride / Interview with Anthea / Table Music(excerpt) / G. ISTVAN LASZLO: Biography / Chronos / Burger King / The Jungle / Fishmonger / Headwaiter / In the Cukraszda / Feast / The Lake / Abraham / The Cat / The Road to Autumn ANNA T. SZABO: Biography / Winter Diary / Fire, We say / This Day / The Labour Ward / She leaves Me / Autofocus / Adolescents / Hospital Window / Cold Light / Cruising Altitude TAMAS JONAS: Biography / Experimentation / Master Raven / Ballad of the Tortured / The One / Slowly It comes to Light ORSOLYA KARAFIATH - Biography / Blood / Earth / Two Flagstones / Lotte Lenya's Secret Song / Blind Map / Meadow Land / Portrait of a Woman / Sky ANDRAS GEREVICH: Biography / Desire / Waking Up / Family Chronometer / Christmas Shopping / In the Storybook - / Marmaris / Mediterranean / Odysseus / A Thursday / Cemetery / Provincetown / Let the Hand of Fate strike You About the translators