The Hungarian Author Who Foresaw the Future of Nationalism

For the last several decades, Hungary has been easy for many Americans to ignore. It’s a landlocked country with a population of 10 million and a language with only 13 million native speakers worldwide. For roughly 35 years, Hungary was part of the USSR, with little political power in its own right. Before that, the country was a minor Axis power in WWII, and before that, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, whose monarchs spoke German (not Hungarian) and ruled from Vienna (not Budapest). 

No wonder American publishers have been slow to release English translations of Hungarian books, even as the country’s literary culture has thrived against all odds. Now, there’s a reason to start paying attention: Americans are realizing that Hungary’s political situation has been a harbinger of our own. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is not only friendly with Donald Trump, but perceived by some politicians and scholars to be his European predecessor—the “Trump before Trump,” as Steve Bannon joked. Anti-immigrant sentiment and heightened nationalism had already reached alarming levels in Hungary by the time Trump magnified their presence in the United States. 

Enter Pixel: a Hungarian novel written by acclaimed poet Krisztina Tóth, first published in 2011 and newly available in English via translator Owen Good.