88. Manuscript collection related to poet Lőrinc Szabó...

... (1900-1957) and his lover, Erzsébet Korzáti, Ödönné Vékes (1902-1950).
The poet met his wife, Klára Mikes, in the early 1920s. "The first time I saw her, she was standing at the window of Klára's flat on Horánszky Street, holding you as a baby in her arms. I didn't pay much attention to her." (Recollection of Lőrinc Szabó.) In the summer of 1924, they went on a group trip to Csillebérc, where their relationship actually began: "She came with me to the gate, out into the green countryside, where there was a large, deep grassy ditch. We sat down where no one could see us. And I started kissing her. Perhaps something else would have happened, but two minutes later her husband and others appeared." This was the beginning of a stormy relationship that lasted a quarter of a century and ended in tragedy. This on-again, off-again relationship reached a turning point after four years. Erzsébet spent a longer period of time in the Netherlands with her son Endre in 1928. During this time, Lőrinc Szabó reached the point where he wanted both women: his wife and his mistress. "If only I could somehow unite the two of you in my life, then I would be truly happy! I am sure that it would be a salvation for us – for her too – if we confessed our love." He outlined his idea to his wife, who was initially inclined to accept it, but when it turned out that his mistress was her best friend, she naturally refused his request. She asked her husband to break off his relationship with Erzsébet. This did not happen, as a result of which Klára attempted suicide three times. When Erzsébet's husband, Ödön, also learned of the relationship, they ended it. However, the poet was unable to break away, decided to divorce his wife, and asked Erzsébet to make a decision. She chose her family. As a result, their relationship was put on hold, during which time Lőrinc Szabó also attempted suicide. Three years later, they met again and their relationship reignited. Everything started again: the secret meetings, the trips, the hidden moments. Then, on 12 February 1950, tragedy struck: Erzsébet committed suicide. "Complete despondency. Friday: nervous breakdown. Saturday: feigning a return of strength of spirit. Just as the night before, Bandit removed me, then Máday's assistant. And at night she ended it all. Looking back, I see the fateful moments of the past two or three months. And yesterday was the funeral. They buried her with him. Goodbye, my darling!" Despite the terrible human tragedies, it is undeniable that Hungarian literature owes several immortal works to this turbulent story. Semmiért egészen (For Nothing at All), Melletted (Beside You), and one of the most reprinted volumes, A huszonhatodik év szonettjei (Sonnets of the Twenty-Sixth Year), were all born during and as a result of the drama.
Our item is an extremely diverse collection of literary history. It contains Lőrinc Szabó's 21-page autograph letter to his son Endre, from which some of the above quotations are taken; the typescript of The Twenty-Sixth Year with autograph corrections; nine letters by Lőrinc Szabó, all but one of which are autographs; two letters from Klára Mikes, one of which was dictated by the poet in the weeks before his death; Typescript copies of Erzsébet Korzáti's numerous letters to Lőrinc Szabó and her autograph letters to her family; and numerous other letters addressed to Erzsébet and her children. 
 
Starting price: 1 500 000,-