Waiting for a tyrant

Béla Markó's new volume of essays and journalism (Waiting for a Tyrant) collects public and literary writings from the period between 2017 and 2021. In a certain sense, the author continues with this a series that creates a significant resonance among readers and critics, since after Requiem for a Cat (2015) and Transylvanian Picaresque (2017), also published by Kalligram, he responds to the phenomena he considers essential, events or works. After retiring from active politics a decade ago, and once again appearing primarily as a poet, Béla Markó continues to monitor public life in Romania, Hungary and Europe, but he does not wish to formulate daily political conclusions, but more generally applicable lessons, and the past decade he returns to his theoretical-ideological experiences. This book can also expect significant interest because it no longer approaches its topics from the perspective of a committed politician, but of an opinion-forming intellectual. We could also say that this collection, branching out in many directions and running on many threads, comes together into a very unified story, since even the writings originating from old Hungarian literature or evoking the Trianon drama without exception return to the present, and in fact it is an unusual memoir of the past three decades, Béla Markó's special memoir is made up of them.