CANONS AND ENEMIES IN LITERATURE: THE WITCH OF FUNTINEL AND ITS AUTHOR
CANONS AND ENEMIES IN LITERATURE: THE WITCH OF FUNTINEL AND ITS AUTHOR

Summary/Abstract: In this study, we aim to bring to readers the figure of a highly controversial writer: Albert Wass. The Hungarian writer is still banned from Romanian public discourse and still questioned by some in Hungary, as he is often considered solely a war criminal, and not a writer of fiction. Not many Romanian readers are aware that, on the one hand, Wass is a Sadoveanu of Hungarian literature in Transylvania, and he is, on the other hand, a man who lived a personal and a collective drama which, of course, influenced the narrative voice he adopted. We also approach the issue of judging the creation of writers by what they write and decide upon their value only based on aesthetic criteria, as extra-aesthetic issues should not interfere in this process. We are aware that we cannot find complete truth in the case of this disputed writer. Nevertheless, we investigate one of his most famous and popular novels, The Witch of Funtinel, to find out whether he indeed fits the profile of a xenophobic person who hated the Other (in this case Romanians). We also highlight some aspects regarding the touch of magical realism that can be spotted in this novel.

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