A Budapest Interview with Tibor Fischer

Abstract

This is a lightly edited transcript of an interview with Tibor Fischer made when the British novelist of Hungarian descent and writer of Under the Frog, a novel short-listed for the Man-Booker Prize, delivered a lecture on his work at the English studies programme of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary. Fischer, the son of Hungarian émigré parents who fl ed Hungary in 1956 and settled down in Britain seeking to live out their lives in a free western country, has acquired working knowledge of his parents ’ native tongue but has written all of his seven novels and two volumes of short stories in English. His work has earned him international acclaim highlighted by the translation of his novels into several European languages including Russian and Hungarian as well as prestigious awards in Britain with the Betty Trask Award and being listed as one of Granta ’ s best young British writers among them. As an academic, who earned his degree in French and Latin in Cambridge, Fischer has taught courses in creative writing and literary studies at various universities in Britain and abroad. The conversation recorded here took place on 18 May 2022 between Fischer and one of his Hungarian translators Dr Ákos Farkas of ELTE ’ s Department of English Studies. An abridged version in Hungarian translation of this interview appeared in the 23 Sep. 2022 issue of the Hungarian literary magazine Országút.