Biography
Born Lebovics Menyhért in Balmazújváros, Hungary, Lengyel began his career as a journalist, initially working in Kassa (Košice) and later in Budapest.
His debut play, A nagy fejedelem (The Great Prince), was staged by the Thalia Company in 1907. The Hungarian National Theatre presented his following drama, A hálás utókor (The Grateful Posterity), in 1908, earning him the Vojnits Award from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, annually given for the best play. Taifun (Typhoon), written in 1909, achieved global acclaim and continues to be performed, with a 1914 U.S. film adaptation.
Lengyel frequently contributed to Nyugat (West), Hungary's leading literary journal in the early 20th century. During World War I, he was dispatched to Switzerland by the Hungarian daily Az Est (The Evening) as a correspondent. His pacifist writings from 1918 were translated into German and French and published in a collection titled Egyszerű gondolatok (Simple Thoughts).
In 1916, he published "The Miraculous Mandarin" (A csodálatos mandarin), a “pantomime grotesque” that inspired Hungarian composer Béla Bartók to create the 1924 ballet The Miraculous Mandarin.
After the war, Lengyel spent an extended period in the United States, documenting his experiences in the 1922 book Amerikai napló (American Journal). He was active in the film industry during the 1920s, serving as story editor at May-Film in Berlin and co-director of a Budapest theatre in 1929/30. In 1931, the Hungarian newspaper Pesti Napló (Pest Journal) sent him to London as a correspondent. That year, his Utopian novel A boldog város (The Happy City) was published, depicting an American city situated in a chasm formed by the major Californian earthquake.
In 1937, Lengyel relocated to Hollywood, California, becoming a screenwriter. His stories, including Ninotchka (1939)—which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Original Story—and To Be or Not to Be (1942), gained international success.
Returning to Europe in 1960, he settled in Italy and was honored with the Great Award of Rome in 1963 for his literary achievements.
Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Lengyel frequently visited Hungary and sought to repatriate. Shortly after his return in 1974, he passed away in Budapest at 94.
In 2004, the city library of Balmazújváros, his hometown, was named in his honor. A librarian compiled a comprehensive list of Lengyel's works alongside articles and references about his life and publications to commemorate this.
The above description is adapted from the Wikipedia article on Edwin Justus Mayer, licensed under CC-BY-SA; full contributor details are available on Wikipedia.
