“Strane giornate di Roma” – Zoltán Jékely a Roma

Abstract

The paper presents the relationship of the poet, writer and translator Zoltán Jékely (1913–1982) with Italy and Italian culture, focusing on his two prolonged stays in Rome. In 1940 and in 1948, Jékely had an opportunity to spend a few months at the Hungarian Academy in Rome. His hitherto unpublished diaries and correspondence, forming part of the legacy, allow us not only to reconstruct the events during those stays but also to assess their influence on him. The paper highlights events to which the author attributed a special, spiritual significance. Throughout his life, and especially while travelling, Jékely was careful to register signals directed at him, events whose importance transcended everyday life, and was personally touched by the hidden beauties of the cities he visited.