Language/Literature paper by Szentkirályi, Endre
Faith, Satire, and Humor: the Contemporary Author and Poet János Lackfi (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentationAbstract (max. 250 words):
Children’s author, translator, religious poet, social critic and satirist, and a laugh-out-loud funny guy: exactly who is János Lackfi? All of the above. Born in 1971, Lackfi is a prolific writer, a master of pop culture, winner of the József Attila award, a translator of French poetry, inexhaustible rewriter of traditional classic poems, the father of six children, and quite a popular author in Hungary today. Over thirty books written, over a hundred performances each year, off-the-cuff postings on Facebook multiple times a day, this man just cannot help spewing forth poems and language from his brain and sharing them with the rest of the world. This paper provides an overall synopsis of his literary career, an examination of two of his funniest works, “Ilyenek a magyarok? [Hungarians are like this…]” and “Ilyenek MÉG a magyarok? [Are Hungarians STILL like this…],” and an analysis of “#Jóéjtpuszi [hashtag Goodnight Kiss],” a collection of his religious poems. Time will tell whether he makes it into the Hungarian literary canon, but for now, sit back, relax, and get ready for some gut-busting laughter as well as some thoughtful theological musings, or just enjoy the sounds of alliteration, allusion, imagery, and rhymes as János Lackfi plays with language.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Endre Szentkiralyi studied English and German at Cleveland State University, has an MA in English from the University of Akron, and earned a PhD from the University of Debrecen. He has edited several books of oral histories, as well as authoring Cold War to Warm Cooperation: the Military Service of Cleveland Hungarians 1950-2014 (Zrínyi Publishing) and Being Hungarian in Cleveland: Maintaining Language, Culture, and Traditions (Helena History Press, 2019). He is president of the United Hungarian Societies, Cleveland’s umbrella organization, and is also chairman of the board of the Hungarian American Coalition, a nationwide umbrella organization. He currently teaches English and German at Nordonia High School near Cleveland, Ohio.