
Carl Van Vechten · Public domain
Ferenc Molnár
Hungarian-born dramatist and novelist
1878 – 1952aged 74
A Hungarian playwright and novelist who fused the realistic stage tradition of Hungary with Western dramatic influence into comedies distinctly his own, blending naturalism with romantic fantasy. His play Liliom later became the basis for the musical Carousel, and his novel The Paul Street Boys, about rival gangs of Budapest youths, has been translated into 42 languages and remains a touchstone of Hungarian literature.