Writers protest against planned Albert Wass statue

A memorial statue for writer Albert Wass would be erected in Debrecen, but several renowned writers protested the decision in a letter to Mayor Lajos Kósa, wrote hirszerzo.hu. The statue would be built from private donations by the Civilian Casino Association (Polgári Casino Egyesület).

The foundation stone for the statue is to be laid on Friday in the Medgyessy path of the Nagyerdő (Great Forest), accompanied by a speech delivered by Kósa. In the meantime, however, the protest letter against the statue, penned by poet and associate professor Szilárd Borbély, was signed by more than one hundred Hungarian intellectuals from inside and outside Hungary's present-day borders. They point out that there are ongoing disputes about Albert Wass's place in literature, and his professional role has not yet been established. They add that a statue is not only a work of art but also a bearer of symbolic meanings.

The letter finally concludes that it is not the province of a public body, elected for four years, to decide about the place of a writer, placing him among such names as Mihály Fazekas, János Arany, Endre Ady, Gyula Krúdy, Zsigmond Móricz, Árpád Tóth, or Lőrinc Szabó. They feel that such a decision would compromise the name of these esteemed authors.

The letter was signed by writers, poets, professors, editors and critics, along with several public figures in Debrecen.

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