Karl Maria Kertbeny, ein umstrittener Kulturvermittler aus dem 19. Jahrhundert

Abstract

This article deals with the enigmatic biography and the controversial oeuvre of Karl Maria Kertbeny (recte: Karl Maria Benkert; 1824-1882). Kertbeny was a representative of the so-called Hungarus identity, a convinced Hungarian of non-Hungarian mother tongue. He worked primarily as a journalistic mediator and literary translator and was largely responsible for the image of Hungary and of Hungarian culture and literature in German-speaking countries, especially in the period from the middle of the 19th century onwards. In the article, the overly critical attitude that posterity took towards Kertbeny is set to some extent straight.