Miklós Rónaszegi

novelist

His 27 published works include historical novels and science fictions. As far as Hungarian history is concerned, he is mainly interested in the late Middle Ages; with regard to world history, he writes about journeys of discovery and the history of the first British colonies in America.

His books are characterised by fast-moving narrative and authentic historical and ethnographic detail. While describing exciting events, he does not forget about the educational side of literature for young people.

In his biographies written for adults in the form of novels (he has written books about Shakespeare, Molière, and Marco Polo), the abundance of biographical data is tempered by his enjoyable, dynamic style.

His novels written for younger children radiate humour and emotion. A good example is the book entitled “Lame Buffalo“. It is one of the most beautiful novel about brotherly love.

In his award-winning book “The Prisoner of Genoa” (Miklós Rónaszegi’s novel won a literature competition in Hungary to mark International Children’s Year in 1981), a monk recalls his childhood when, during his imprisonment, he witnesses the birth of Marco Polo`s famous account of his travels.

The series “The Naughty Boys“ is full of schoolboy humour. An award-winning film “The Lost and Found Baby” which is well known throughout Europe (the film won the top award at the 1985 Hungarian Film Festival), is based on the first book in the series “The Naughty Boys and the Tourists”.

Miklós Rónaszegi’s science fiction and fantasy novels are mainly intended for older readers, although one of them also appeals to children’s imagination. “Watch What You Wish For” is not only a bestseller, but has also become recommended reading in several schools.

Comparing “Watch What You Wish For” with “Rise of the Insects“ or “The Devil’s Liquor”, we can clearly see that the author has a very precise knowledge of the mentality of different generations, and also the requirements of the science fiction genre.

Miklós Rónaszegi’s books have been published in several languages. Many of the historical novels are available in Slovak for example “The Queen’s Pirate”, and “God Blew with His Winds..” in Czech and “The Naughty Boys“ can also be read in Russian.

“Lame Buffalo“ and “The Formidable Kartal” have been translated into German. His novel “The Illustrious János Háry”, based on a folk tale, has already run to six editions in Spanish. This book has been published in Greek as well.