San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-18

Hungarian playwright, to divorce
the woman who was his inspiration
calls attention to number of recent SIM
liar cases.
1t seems to be rule that genius hav-
ing cheerfully taken the best woman
has to give and reached the heights on
her insniration is suddenly prompted to
throw her over in favor of someone
younger. Evidently to he the inspiration
of genius is thankless job which no
woman need envy, but at least the dis
carded ones have the satisfaction of see
ing such ingratitude avenged.
As soon as one of these great men sue
ceeds in Kidding himself of the ladder by
which he climbed, what happens? His
genius falters. Several of these great
has-beens are visible i;ght now on the
literary horizon, looming like extinct vol
canoes, cold, gloomy and impotent. Each
has its youthful little soul-mate trying so
hard and wondering pathetically why her
efforts bring such small results. The
mountain labors and brings forth mouse
The most remarkable thing about Mol
mars case is that his wife, Sari Fedak is
a first-class genius herself For genius
to subordinate itself to he the inspiration
of genius is almost unheard of. Another
thing, anyone who has to do with genius
must be unselfish and self-effacing, while
Madame Fedak is as temperamental and
egotistical as any other great actress and
said to have the worst temper in Europe.
Allithese traits she suppressed in the pres
ence of Molnar to make him great and to
retain his love- Her reward is that she
has been cast out for Lii Darvas, as much
younger actress.
When they first met, Fedak was al
ready established as a great actress and
Molnar only a struggling newspaper
writer. Like all deeply emotional people.
she seems to have known the playwright's
genius instinctively, for there was no out
ward evidence of it at that time.
She helped him with her stage expert
ence and connections but more than that,
she felt she could give him that touch
which every great writer must have and
can get only from some woman who sees
and can eXpress-the touch that makes
his writings ring true not only to men
but to women. Molnar was married, but
evidently not to an inspiration, and was
so wrapped up in the brilliant and beauti-
full Fedak that he offered to get a divorce
and marry her at once.
Evidently the actress loved him deeply,
for nobody can stand the strain of being
inspiration to genius unless very much in
love, and yet she refused him for ten
years Again she seems to have known
intuitively rather than by any logic that
to marry him would be mistake. They
remained "sweethearts'-a arrangement
which was understood and recognized in
Buda Pesth.
His first great success, "The Devil"
contains these lines which frankly tell
the story of his inspiration:
"Look into the work of the worlds
greatest masters. You will find in nearly
every case that with their masterpieces
is linked the name of the Beloved Woman.
Her name may be unknown to the world,
her identity an unsolved puzzle; she may
share his glory anonymously. But there
she is"
She had plenty to offer in those days
and he took it all gladly enough and yet,
when "The Devil" and the rapid success
sion of worldwide successes that followed
made him wealthy and internationally
famous, she still refused to marry him.
Every day, as she knew well, increased
the circle of European beauties who cast
admiring eyes on the man whom she had
found poor and unknown.
Most women wOuld have struggled to
chain him to her with the bonds of matri-
mony before someone else got him. But
Fedak struggled in the opposite direction
for ten years, during which he wrote his
greatest works and she starred in most
of them. Then something happened
Monar divorced his wife, put his
daughter in boarding school and made
final plea to marry the actress. For some
reason Fedak yielded and at last the thing
she had feared and avoided happened, and
vet Immediately after the ceremony she
was heard to prophesy sadly that it would
be the end.
Some say that her trip to America was
In. cause of her decision. In the United
States, while accepted as Hungary's great
est actress, which after all did not mean
SO very much, as Molnar's sweetheart,