Hungarian Literature in the Netherlands from the Second World War to the Early 2000s

Abstract

In minor languages, being isolated, translation has played a promi­nent role from the very beginning: the first written language memorial in Hun­ gary is a translation, and the Dutch written tradition also began with translations. Today, according to the data from the UNESCO Index Translationum, the Nether­ lands is sixth in the list of the fifty countries with the highest number of transla­tions, and Hungary is thirteenth. In this paper, I will attempt to summarise which Hungarian literary works were published in Dutch translation from the Second World War to the early 2000s, and under what circumstances. Since a translated text can only become literature through its reception, just like the original work, I will also examine the impact of translation on the receiving culture.