Dezső Kosztolányi - Téli alkony (Dusk in Winter)

Téli alkony (Dusk in Winter) by Dezső Kosztolányi Read by Dr Eszter Tarsoly, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). Dezső Kosztolányi was a Hungarian poet and writer (1885 – 1936). Here, Dr Eszter Tarsoly reads his poem Téli alkony (Dusk in Winter) in the original Hungarian. Dr Tarsoly explains the poem as: ‘The sonett Téli alkony 'Dusk in Winter' is evocative of the intimacy, tranquility, and quiet magic of a snowy winter night. It depicts a rural landscape, in which only the window panes gleam in gold as the rays of the setting sun are reflected in them, as if the light was having a last battle against the darkness that quietly and softly descends. Trees stand guard clad in white lace while the entire landscape glimmers in sparkly, fresh white providing a background to smoking chimneys. Families sit around their stoves and talk quietly, and those who are still on their way home thread carefully and silently, as if fearing that they would disturb the secret calm of the road covered in fresh snow. When all goes quiet and darkness covers the landscape, snow starts falling again, dancing, whirling, and shimmering softly, as if white roses were falling from a lead-coloured sky into a quiet night.’ You can listen to other episodes of Season’s Readings, and more, on the UCL Soundcloud channel: soundcloud.com/uclsound To learn more about UCL, our degree courses and research, visit: www.ucl.ac.uk