Debrecen4U October 6, 2026

109th Anniversary of Magda Szabó’s Birth Commemorated in Debrecen

The writer was honoured in Debrecen with wreath-laying ceremonies and a 12-hour reading session.

Where the Svetits Catholic Grammar School boarding house now stands was once the home where Magda Szabó lived from the age of three until she was 16. It was also home to the old well that later inspired the title of her autobiographical novel. On the site of the former well, her novel Ókút was read aloud over 12 hours on the writer’s birthday. Each chapter was read in the voice of a different student or teacher, alongside invited readers. The school plays an important role in Magda Szabó’s life not only because she lived next door, but also because, as she wrote in Régimódi történet (An Old-Fashioned Story), her mother studied there. “I believe this also became part of her upbringing. The values, attention, care and love that her mother received here at Svetits were things she was later able to pass on to her daughter,” said Csaba Baranya, Deputy Head of the school unit.

Students of the Dóczy Gedeon Grammar School, Magda Szabó’s former school and the model for the Matula Academy in Abigél, held a memorial ceremony at the writer’s grave in the public cemetery. Here, Deputy Mayor István Puskás said that Magda Szabó’s art is part of Debrecen’s identity and will remain relevant forever. “Through her words, sentences and stories, she is still with us today. Not only in Debrecen and not only for readers of Hungarian, but for readers in many dozens of languages around the world, she continues to offer experiences, send us messages and engage in conversation with us,” István Puskás said.

The memorial ceremony concluded with a wreath-laying at Magda Szabó’s grave.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu