Gyula DÁVID
The Lexicon of Hungarian Literature in Romania
Institution:
Director, POLIS Publishing House, Cluj ; Editor-in-Chief, LHLR
Abstract:
On account of the history of its publication and its conception, the lexicon mirrors the minority status of Hungarians in Romania. Without being separated from general Hungarian culture, Hungarian culture in Romania after 1918 articulated its own characteristics in function of the fluctuation of historical circumstances.
The study analyses ideological as well as historical political impediments and censure which delayed the publication of each volume. The conceptual basis of the lexicon is also presented: the dictionary deals with a minority culture and therefore its conception goes beyond the strict meaning of "literature", encompassing the whole of Hungarian writing in Romania. The completion of the lexicon is still in progress.
