Sziveri János

Source of the photo: László Dormán's collection

He completed primary school in Mužlja, after which he enrolled in the military pilot training high school in Mostar. From there, he transferred to the high school in Zrenjanin, then became an apprentice electrician. He studied at the Department of Hungarian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. Between 1980 and 1983, he was the editor-in-chief of Új Symposion. In 1983, he was dismissed for political reasons, and the editorial board was dissolved. He could not find work, and his poems could not be published. From 1985 to 1990, he was a dramaturge at the National Theatre in Subotica. In 1989, he moved to Budapest for medical treatment, but his illness could not be halted.

In 1992, his friends established the János Sziveri Award in his memory. In 1993, the local art stage in Mužlja was named after János Sziveri. In 1993, 1994, and 1996, poetry competitions were announced, and Sziveri Memorial Days were held. His memory is preserved by memorial plaques in his houses in Mužlja and Temerin (works by Ferenc Matuska and Ferenc Papp B.). In 2012, the Sziveri Institute was founded in Veszprém.

In 2020, a bust of János Sziveri (a work by Sándor Dudás) was unveiled in his native village.