Speech by Dr. Tamás Sulyok on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mór Jókai

We stand before the grave of an exceptional Hungarian, a monument to one of Hungary's intellectual giants. But it is not the sorrow of his passing that has brought us here, but the joy and celebration of the fact that by the grace of the Creator, we have by now enjoyed his legacy for two centuries. We are not here to mourn his absence, but to bow our heads before his memory and thank him for what he left us.

We thank him not just for his magnificent literary works, but also for his service to the nation – including the service that was not rendered by his pen. We hail his patriotism, ever steadfast in his love for the nation, which encouraged, enriched and set an example.

Mór Jókai was born 200 years ago, and the nation has admired him for almost 180 years.
He was one of the Youth of March, a loyal patriot, a thoughtful revolutionary, a chronicler of our legal demands, and as one of the main protagonists of the 15 March 1848, one of those who charted a new course for the destiny of the Hungarian nation.

He is a giant of Hungarian culture, a master of our language, the creator of an era-defining ouvre, and the author of a vast body of work, who opened the gates of literary appreciation to the entire nation. He was a prominent figure in Hungarian public life, a member of parliament, an opinion-forming thinker, editor and public writer, whose words often attracted more attention than the statements made by prominent politicians.

He was the model of a respectable citizen, a cultivated European mind who appreciated cultures, respected peoples, spoke languages, and was a freedom-loving Hungarian who defended the freedom of others with the same determination as he defended his own.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Mór Jókai wove dreams, sought justice, gave us heroes. All this in the hardest years as well.
At a time when Hungary was losing hope, he wrote about the beauty and nobility of being Hungarian, and his optimism kept the spirit alive in his discouraged nation.

The foundation of his art was Hungarian culture, the inspiration was Hungarian life, which he always presented in its greatness and its possibilities. Many people also questioned why he did not write about reality. Well, he did – reality as he saw it, as he wanted to see it. He showed what the nation could become, what it could do, what it could achieve. 

Rather than being silent about reality, he focused on the possibilities yet untapped, he idealised, because for Jókai, his country was an ideal and its people were heroes.

He created ideals, set examples, and told stories—told them endlessly. Even when times were hard, even when the nation fell into silence. While many became disillusioned, he wrote of hope, for Jókai had unwavering faith in his compatriots. He dreamed of a beautiful homeland - strong and pure - a home to heroes of unparalled valour, to honourable Hungarians.

Mór Jókai found his vocation in comforting the hopeless and broken Hungarian nation. He never lost hope when it came to the Hungarian people, and he was able to transmit this faith to others. For him, language and storytelling were real weapons, and with these weapons he had a winning hand. For half a century, he was not only the most widely read writer, but also the most admired Hungarian.

Can it be said of a man who gave so much to his country that his universe of thought has become obsolete? 
Can we say of the art that polished the Hungarian language into brilliant diamonds that it is old and voluminous? Can we say of the oeuvre that gave so much to Hungarian culture that it is out of date?

Mór Jókai and his work are an indelible part of Hungarian culture. Reading it we do not find dead letters, but a living heritage. And although the contents of bookshelves naturally change over time, there are quite a few items that should not be thrown away or discarded - Jókai's volumes are a case in point. 
These volumes deserve to be on our shelves, and in a prominent place.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

For us, our mother tongue is not just a gift we received from fate. We Hungarians live by our language and in our language. Hungarian does not have many relatives, to which we have responded by a kind of stubbornness, so that even though the world does not understand our language, we have cherished, nurtured and polished it into a hidden diamond and continue to guard it as our most treasured possession - against all odds. Without the Hungarian language, there can be no Hungarian nation. 
It is as simple as that. If our language loses its shine and starts to wear out, the nation will be dusted away with it.

It cannot be a coincidence that those who are able to unearth soul-stirring treasures from the deepest layers of our language also become the guiding lights of Hungarian society. Sometimes they become intellectual leaders, sometimes they become valued figures in politics, and in acute situations they fight their way to a respected place among those who form history. In such situations, their guidence goes beyond aesthetic value and artistic content. They speak to Hungarian life, they aim to improve the Hungarian destiny.

What better illustration of this than the fact that one of the greatest figures of Hungarian literature, whom we commemorate today, was a formative participant at the inflection point of our nation's destiny, a member of Hungarian political life for decades, one who has had and continues to have an extraordinary influence on Hungarian society, both through his works and his statements, which have continued to exert significant influence - even if the assessment of Jókai's role and body of work has evolved over time.

It must be considered historic that Jókai was actually the first to be read by wide segments of society, who made the majority of Hungarians love and familiarise themselves with literature, books, the entertaining and soul-stimulating nature of reading, at the same time exposing them to substantial cultural-educational influence. Our contemporary writers have much to thank him for, as he paved the way for them to follow to this day.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Mór Jókai was more than a fantastic writer, more than the creator of the greatest Hungarian literary oeuvre, he was also more than a unique influence on our culture. He was more than a revolutionary ready to make sacrifices for his country, or a respected Member of the Hungarian Parliament. He was more than one of the greatest figures of our past. Mór Jókai was all of these things, and more. A true Hungarian. In this true Hungarian, there was both talent and tireless work. He was a revolutionary and a thoughtful politician, someone who fought for Hungarian freedom and respected the freedom of others at the same time.
In addition to his great achievements and extraordinary life's work, we will always honour Mór Jókai because he was a true Hungarian. Everything he was endowed with, all that his mind and heart could only give, he gave to us, and thus enriched the nation and strengthened the country.

Thank you for your kind attention!

Budapest, Fiumei Road Cemetery (18 February 2025)