The statue of Miklós Radnóti in Bor (Serbia) has been damaged, and the Hungarian National Council of Vojvodina (MNT) has filed a police report regarding the incident.
Hungary donated a statue of Miklós Radnóti to the Serbian mining town in 1979, but the 600-kilogram bronze monument was stolen in 2001. In 2004, a new statue was erected in honor of the murdered poet, and it has stood in the eastern Serbian town ever since.
The chairman of the MNT reported the damage on Facebook. He stated that they had called on local authorities to clean the statue immediately. “Respect for culture, history, and human dignity must not be sacrificed for the sake of any kind of advertising.
Miklós Radnóti’s life’s work and fate are part of our shared European heritage, and his memory unites us,”
the politician emphasized in his post.
Based on the images circulating on social media, the vandals defaced the statue with stickers bearing political messages.
FactMiklós Radnóti (1909, Budapest – 1944, Abda near Győr), considered one of the greatest Hungarian poets of the 20th century, was deported to Bor in June 1944 for forced labor; from there, a few months later, as a prisoner of the Heidenau camp, he was driven on a forced march to Germany along with 3,200 fellow prisoners due to the advance of the Soviet Army and the Yugoslav partisans. The poet wrote several poems in Bor and along the way, including “Postcards,” “Seventh Eclogue,” “Letter to My Wife,” and “Forced March.”
In his poems, Expressionist and avant-garde elements blend with classical forms and a strong attachment to his homeland. Right up until his final days, he scribbled heart-wrenching poems about his life in the Bor camp on scraps of paper.
Via MTI; Featured photo: Wanilica/Wikimedia Commons