page_title: Ferenc Molnár
section_title: Literary and theatrical career
hierarchical_section_title: Ferenc Molnár / Life / Literary and theatrical career
caption_attribution_description: English: Paul street boys sculpture, Budapest, 8. district, Práter street school inspired after Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnar's novel: "Paul street boys" Sculptor: Péter Szanyi Deutsch: Denkmal für „Die Jungen von der Paulstraße“ in Budapest, Práter utca 11. Magyar: Pál utcai fiúk szoborcsoport, Budapest, VIII.ker., Práter utcai iskola előttSzanyi Péter szobrászművész alkotása (2007)
context_page_description: Ferenc Molnár, often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playwright. His primary aim through his writing was to entertain by transforming his personal experiences into literary works of art. He was never connected to any one literary movement but he did utilize the precepts of naturalism, Neo-Romanticism, Expressionism, and the Freudian psychoanalytical concepts, but only as long as they suited his desires. “By fusing the realistic narrative and stage tradition of Hungary with Western influences into a cosmopolitan amalgam, Molnár emerged as a versatile artist whose style was uniquely his own.”
  As a novelist, Molnár may best be remembered for The Paul Street Boys, the story of two rival gangs of youths in Budapest. It has been translated into fourteen languages and adapted for the stage and film. It has been considered a masterpiece by many. It was, however, as a playwright that he made his greatest contribution and how he is best known internationally.
context_section_description: In 1901, Molnár published his first full-length novel Az éhes város (The Hungry City). This novel made Molnár's name familiar throughout Hungary. It was "a relentless exposé of the evil effect of money, viewed by a young, idealistic newspaperman." The year following the release of Az éhes város, Molnár began writing for the theatre. It was in this medium that he became known internationally. His early works as a playwright were influenced by his journalistic work. Molnár's first play, A doctor úr (The Lawyer), and the play that followed, Józsi, are both comedies that were essentially a dramatization of newspaper sketches about a spoiled rich child and published as a collection of short dialogues. His personal life inspired a lot of his writing. After his separation from his first wife (Margit Vészi), he became involved with the famous Hungarian actress Irén Szécsi, who was married to a wealthy manufacturer at the time. Some of his more critically successful works were influenced by this affair. 
  In 1907, Molnár wrote Az ördög (The Devil) for Irén, in which he challenged her to leave her husband. It brought Molnár international fame and was performed all over Europe and In New York. The Devil later was adapted into a film by the Hungarian-born American director Michael Curtiz and three years later into an English language version directed by James Young. Also in 1907, Molnár wrote three books including his juvenile novel A Pál-utcai Fiúk (The Paul Street Boys). "His fame reached its height with the successful performances of Liliom abroad, though the play initially had been a failure in Budapest." It became his best-known play and later was adapted into the musical Carousel by the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Molnár sought to regain favor with his wife Lili by portraying her in the role of Juli, and then through his plays The Guardsman and The Wolf, preceded to explain the complexities of his affair with Irén. The Guardsman was published in 1910 and served as the basis of the 1931 film of the same name, starring American power couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. 
  
  Molnár fell into a deep depression after Irén cut off the affair and returned to her family. He resorted to drinking heavily as a result, and in 1911 attempted suicide. He was rehabilitated in Austria and during this dark time continued writing. Between 1910 and 1914, five volumes of his collected essays were published as well as his translations of over 30 French plays. "Molnár's long and turbulent life was one of hard and incessant work. For over 50 years, he transposed his inner conflict in his literary work; writing was his oxygen, elixir, and self-therapy."
caption: "Paul Street boys" sculpture in Budapest
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