Budapest – District XI (Statue of Géza Gárdonyi)

Located in District XI of Budapest, this is the statue of Géza Gárdonyi (1863-1922), a renowned Hungarian writer and playwright.

The sculpture was unveiled here on 13 May 1933 and was designed by János Horvay. In addition to the main man himself, there are bronze figures of a boy lying down and a mother reading to him, symbolising his historical novels and works for children. It was commissioned by the Országos Gárdonyi Géza Irodalmi Társaság (the National Géza Gárdonyi Literary Society) and funded through public subscription, the monument reflects just how deeply Gárdonyi’s work must have resonated with ordinary readers across the country. By 1933, his book written in 1899 Egri csillagok (“Eclipse of the Crescent Moon”) had already become a staple of Hungarian school curricula, so I guess that he was the Enid Blyton of his day….. Actually, I’m not sure that she wrote military fiction, but the Famous Five were often very brave.