SOURCE: Radnóti, Sándor. “The First Hungarian Samizdat Poetry Collection.” Formations 3, no. 1 (spring 1986): 147-52.

In the following essay, Radnóti outlines the evolution of Hungarian poet György Petri from a writer of official state publications to one of the samizdat, not because Petri was interested in making a political statement, but because he opposed artistic interference by the state of even the slightest detail.

Many years ago, when Yevgeny Yevtushenko was in Budapest and, as it happened, he wanted to meet young Hungarian intellectuals, his interpreter brought him around. “Zhenia” did some clowning; he had a fool's cap with him and proceeded to tell us which world-famous movie queen had presented it to him; somewhat coquettishly he even let us guess on what occasion. The evening wore on; the poet, like those true conquering, narcissistic natures, wished to please: everyone, anyone. There was only one serious...