Gábor Vida (writer)
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Gábor Vida | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Gábor Vida in 2023 | |
| Born | 4 March 1968 |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | Babeș-Bolyai University |
| Period | 1994–present |
| Notable works |
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Gábor Vida (born 4 March 1968) is an ethnic Hungarian writer and editor from Romania.
Gábor Vida was born in Chișineu-Criș on 4 March 1968.[1] After completing his high school studies in Arad,[2] he studied Hungarian and French at the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, graduating in 1994.[1] He joined the editorial board of the literary journal Látó as a staff member in 1994 and became an editor of the journal's prose section in 1996.[1] His first volume, a short story collection titled Búcsú a filmtől ("Farewell to the Film"), was published in 1994.[3]
In 1998, Vida published an essay in Látó with the title "How should we write the history of Hungarian literature in Romania?",[4] sparking a significant literary debate credited with "dismantl[ing] generational literary ideals and illusions".[1]
In 2017, he earned greater recognition with his autofictional novel Egy dadogás története ("The Story of a Stammer").[3] It was ranked third on the list of 2017's best books by Könyvesblog.[5] The book received the Merítés Prize for prose, winning both the jury award and the popular vote.[6] In 2021, it was voted the best Hungarian volume of poetry of the 2010s by the professional jury of the prize.[7] In 2022, the volume was also published in English under the title Story of a Stammer, translated by Jozefina Komporaly.[8]
In June 2019, he was appointed editor-in-chief of Látó, succeeding poet András Ferenc Kovács in the position.[9]
Writing
Vida considers himself a writer of traditional, plot-focused prose,[3] and has distanced himself from the postmodern approach to writing.[10] In a 2005 interview, he stated, "I think I have escaped from text-centred literature. I have always wanted to write traditional prose, in simple terms: I like telling stories."[11] His early prose was described as pertaining to late modernism.[1]
When asked about his literary influences, he mentioned Mór Jókai, Kálmán Mikszáth, Gyula Krúdy, Zsigmond Móricz, Zsigmond Kemény, Béla Hamvas, Plato, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Jack London.[12] His literary mindset was compared to that of Ádám Bodor and István Szilágyi.[1]
Personal life
As of 2023, Vida is living in Târgu Mureș.[3] He is married to editor and ethnographer Erika Vida (born 1970).[1]
