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Szilárd Borbély

Szilárd Borbély was an academic, writer, and poet. His verse collection Halotti pompa: Szekvenciák (Final Matters: Sequences) and his novel Nincstelenek (The Dispossessed) are considered among the most important works of modern Hungarian literature.

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Excerpt from “The Calf-Eyed”

Translated from the Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet   1 A milk offering was made to the gods every morning and every evening. A small amount of foaming fresh milk was suddenly poured in between the planks of the cowshed floor from the flower-patterned enamel pail. It seemed ...
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Circe, Pig’s Heart

Translated from the Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet   1a The gods are called the examiners of hearts and kidneys, I don’t know why. When my father cut out the pig’s heart, at first he placed it in his palm, lifting it up, appraising it and guessing the weight, and he ...