Egri csillagok
Sterne von Eger (original title Egri csillagok , also published in German under the title Tödlicher Halbmond ) is a historical novel by the Hungarian writer Géza Gárdonyi from 1899. The novel takes place during the Turkish occupation of Hungary in the 16th century and depicts the growing up of the Boy Gergely Bornemissza and his heroic deeds during the siege of Eger Castle (German: Erlau ) in northern Hungary in 1552.
action
The boy Gergely Bornemissza and his best friend Éva, the daughter of a petty aristocrat, are captured by a crowd of Turks and put in a prison hunt. He can use a ruse to free himself and his fellow prisoners. Although an orphan from a poor background, he is adopted by the rich Hungarian nobleman Bálint Török because of his heroic deed . In his care he not only enjoys prosperity, but also a good school and military training, so that he learns languages and acquires a lot of general knowledge of the time.
During his youth, he saw the royal city of Buda fall into the hands of the Turks. Gergely's foster father Bálint Török, the "Hungarian lion", is also captured. Meanwhile, Gergely meets Éva again, who is about to marry someone else. The young couple flees under adventurous circumstances and marries. In order to free Bálint Török, Gergely travels to Constantinople with his friends. They can get as far as Török, but he does not want to come with them.
In 1552 the Hungarian captain István Dobó summoned the free Hungarians to Eger Castle to stop the approaching Turkish army. Gergely, now an officer, follows the call and travels to Eger with his soldiers. There he meets many old friends who want to stand up to the Turks. But the situation seems hopeless. The Turkish army has united with a second army. Now a few thousand Hungarians have to assert themselves against 200,000 Turks. But the Hungarians fight back bravely, and thanks in no small part to Gergely's wealth of ideas, they manage to fend off the Turks. After several weeks of devastating siege fighting, the Turks embarked on a final, bitter attack. But in the end, the Hungarians can keep the upper hand. And not least thanks to the help of the women of Eger.
Important characters
- Gergely Bornemissza
- Éva Cecey (Gergely's best friend and later his wife)
- István Dobó (Hungarian hero and castle captain of Eger)
- old Cecey (Éva's father)
- Mekcsey (friend of Gergely and Vice-Captain of Eger)
- Bálint Török (Hungarian nobleman, Gergely's foster father)
- the gypsy Sárközy (companion and friend of Gergelys)
classification
The novel describes a piece of Hungarian history in a very patriotic way. According to many reviewers, life at this time is written very graphically and comprehensibly. The author lived in Eger during his research.
This novel is a classic in Hungary. It is even read in schools today to make children aware of their own stories. It becomes particularly clear how vividly Gárdonyi writes. In his novel, he explains where the peppers probably come from, who brought the coffee to the country and who left behind so many architectural legacies: the Ottoman occupiers.
Historical background
Gárdonyi did extensive research for his novel (including visiting Istanbul ) and describes life in the 16th century in great detail. Current editions of the novel also contain a list of all known defenders of Eger Castle from the author's estate in the appendix.
The number of Turkish besiegers in front of Eger was actually around 80,000. The Hungarian defenders of the castle (including the civilian population) are estimated at around 2,100 people. The news of the successful defense of the castle was also a sensation at the time and put an end to the reputation of the Turkish land army as a practically unbeatable conquering force, which had been widespread up to now.
The victory of the Hungarians prevented further penetration of the Turks into the Hungarian Oberland, today's Slovakia . In 1596 the Eger castle was finally taken by the Turks; during this siege it was only defended by mercenaries.
Many of the characters in the novel (such as Bornemissza, Dobó, Török, Mekcsey and many others) are historical people who really lived. The military-historical key data also correspond to reality. The main characters' adventures before and during the siege are, however, Gárdonyi's literary inventions. The real Gergely Bornemissza was married several times; the fictional figure of his wife Éva Cecey in the novel, on the other hand, is a creation of the author and embodies his ideal of women.
expenditure
- Budapest 1899/1900 (in Pesti Hirlap)
- Budapest: Légrády 1901
The book has continued to appear in numerous Hungarian editions to this day.
Translations
Bulgarian
- Zvezdite na Eger. Sofia: Narodna Mladež, 1955
German
- Stars of Eger. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Budapest: Corvina 1958 (until today 18th edition 2005)
- Stars of Eger. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Berlin: New Life 1958
- Stars of Eger. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Vienna: Book Community 1958
- Deadly crescent. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Leipzig: Prisma-Verlag 1966
- Deadly crescent. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Stuttgart: Boje-Verlag 1970
- Stars of Eger. Translation of Mirza von Schüching. Bergisch Gladbach: Bastei-Lübbe 1999 (paperback edition)
English
- Eclipse of the crescent moon. Translation by George F. Cushing. Budapest: Corvina 1991
Estonian
- Egeri tahed. Tallinn: Eesti Riiklik Kirjästus 1958
- Egeri tahed. Tallinn: Perioodika 1993
Finnish
- Egerin kills. Helsinki: Librum 1983
Croatian
- Egerske zvijezde. Zagreb: Alfa 1983
Lithuanian
- Egerio žvaigždés. Vilnius: Valst. Grož. Lit. Leidykla 1957
- Egerio žvaigždés. Vilnius: Strofa 2001
Dutch
- The stars of Eger. Amsterdam: Loeb 1980
Polish
- Gwiazdy Egeru. Warsaw: Czytelnik 1962
Romanian
- Stelele din Eger. Bucharest: Ed. de Stat pentru lit. si Arta 1958
Russian
- Zvezdy Egera. Moscow: Detgiz 1955
- Zvezdy Egera. Moscow: Moskovskij rabočij 1956
- Zvezdy Egera. Moscow: Hudožestvennaa literatura 1989
Slovak
- Jágerské hviezdy. Bratislava: Nakl. Detskej Knihy 1956
Slovenian
- Zvezde nad Egrom. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije 1973
- Egerski junahi. Maribor: Pomurska založba 1986
Czech
- Egerské hvězdy. Prague: Mladá fronta 1959
Ukrainian
- Circi Egera. Kiev: Molod 1987
Vietnamese
- Nhu'ng ngoi sao Egha. Hanoi: Van hoc 1972
Film adaptations
- Egri csillagok, Hungary 1923 (director: Pál Fejős )
- Egri csillagok, Hungary 1968 (Director: Zoltán Várkonyi )