Peter Kuczka, portrayed by György Korga.
Péter Kuczka was a Hungarian writer, poet and comic scriptwriter, as well as the editor of the sci-fi journal Galaktika (1972-1995). Apart from being his home country's first specialized science fiction magazine, it was also one of the widest distributed science fiction magazines in the world, reaching a print-run of 94,000 copies.
Early life
Born in 1923 in Budapest, Péter Kuczka graduated in 1945 with a teaching degree from the József Nádor University of Technology and Economics. He subsequently worked as a civil servant and accountant, while working his way up in Hungary's literary and cultural circles as a writer and poet. In 1947, his poems first appeared in the literary journal Emberség (Humanity). His first collection of poems - published in 1949 - earned him a Baumgarten Prize, one of his home country's most prestigious literary awards. More awards followed: in 1950 he received the József Attila prize and in 1954 the Kossuth, a state-sponsored award bestowed upon him for his eulogies of Stalinism.
Comic stories
In 1948-1949, Kuczka wrote his first two comic serials, both drawn by István Köpeczi Bócz. 'Ítél a Nép' ("Judgement of the People!") was a kulak-themed story appearing in Magvető ("The Seeder"), a weekly magazine for the Hungarian peasant youth. The newspaper Szabad Ifjúság ("Free Youth") ran 'Az Ember a Világban', a picture story presenting the history of mankind from cavemen until the rise of the Communist leaders. Even though they were propaganda stories, the comic format in general was not supported by the Communist government. Fearing these "képregény" - as comics were called in Hungary - could corrupt the youth, Kuczka's serials were not allowed to continue. Forced by his publisher, Kuczka had to cancel 'Az Ember a Világban' mid-story, but he was able to conclude 'Ítél a Nép' within two more installments.
'Itél a Nép' (1948), propaganda comic drawn by István Köpeczi Bócz.
Soviet supporter
Despite this setback, Kuczka was initially an avid supporter of the Soviet regime, using his raw and direct writing to support the Communist ideals. Between 1947 and 1956, he held various positions in the trade union, was an employee of the cultural policy department of the Hungarian Working People's Party and served as a secretary of the Hungarian Writers' Association. By the mid-1950s, Kuczka drifted away from Stalinism, finally realizing the downsides of the system. His 1954 work 'Nyírségi Napló', for instance, described the misery of the poor peasants of North Eastern Hungary. He also returned to writing comics, making 'A Tollas Kígyó Unokája' ("Granddaughter of the Feathered Snake", 1956) with the artist István Biai-Föglein for the "Little Rainbow Library". It told the story of 16th-century Spanish conquistadors who caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Revolutionary
By 1956, Péter Kuczka took part in organizing demonstrations which culminated in the Hungarian Uprising. After the authorities suppressed the uprising, Kuczka spent one year in prison. He also received a publication ban which lasted until 1964, while his short term as editor-in-chief of the new literary journal Életképek ("Pictures of Life") was terminated too. In the meantime, in 1958, he found employment with the Budapest Picture Gallery Company (Képcsarnok Vállalat). By 1968, he was working for the National Tourist Board.
Comic scriptwriter
Under the pseudonym Gábor Devecseri, Kuczka also continued to write comics, for instance an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey ('Odüsszeia', 1959) for Füles magazine, drawn by Tamás Szecskó. When his publication ban ended, he was able to write his own science fiction comic stories, such as 'Vörös Felhő parancsot ad' ("Red Cloud Issues a Command", 1964) in the Tolna County newspaper Tolna Megyei Népújság, drawn by András Csanádi. Kuczka then appeared regularly in Pajtás, the magazine of the Pioneer movement (the communist equivalent of scouting). He created several stories with the artist Ernő Zórád, including 'Vasfejű' ("Iron-Head", 1969-1970), 'A Végzetes Bújócska' ("The Fatal Hide and Seek", 1970) and 'A Rókabarlang Titka' ("The Secret of the Foxhole", 1972). For the newspaper Népszabadság (Liberty of the People), Kuczka and Zorad made the serial 'Az Üvegváros' ("Glass City", 1970). Also for Pajtás, Kuczka scripted 'A Második űrhajó' ("The Second Spaceship", 1973) and 'A Bűvös Kocka' ("The Magic Cube", 1974-1975), both drawn by István Endrődi.
'Az Üvegváros' ("Glass City", 1970), drawn by Ernö Zorad.
Even though he didn't like comic adaptations, Kuczka was often hired by Füles editor Tibor Cs. Horváth to write them. Horvath was considered the godfather of the Hungarian comic industry, as he had convinced the socialist censors to let him make comic adaptations of non-blacklisted books. However, Péter Kuczka's relationship with Horváth became complicated after the publication of the story 'Négy Békeszerető Földlakó' ("The Four Peacewanted Earthlings", 1969). Drawn by Ernö Zorad, the story was scripted by Kuczka, but in the Füles publication, Horváth passed himself off as co-writer. In his role as editor, Horváth possibly made changes to the story, but the result was a big clash with Kuczka and the end of their collaboration. The matter even resulted in a lawsuit, in which the judge ruled in Horváth's favor. Kuczka remained spiteful for years, and in 1983, during the first Hungarian comics conference in Nyíregyháza, he heavily attacked the practices and works of Tibor Cs. Horváth.
Science fiction editor
By the second half of the 1960s, Péter Kuczka had become an avid cultivator of science fiction and modern fantasy literature. By compiling anthologies and writing articles, he helped popularize the genre in his home country. For Cosmos Fantastic Books, he edited a popular line of high quality sci-fi novels. He later edited the Kossuth Fantastic series (1970-1975), which introduced the Hungarian audience to authors like Stanislaw Lem, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Jorge Louis Borges and the Strugacki brothers. In 1976, Kuczka became an editor with Móra Ferenc Könyvkiadó, a publishing company specialized in children's and youth literature.
Issues #1 (1972) and #66 (1986) of Galaktika.
Galaktika
Kuczka is perhaps best known as the founder and editor of the monthly science fiction magazine Galaktika (1972-1995). It offered an opportunity for Hungarian writers to publish their short stories, and present international authors to Hungarian readers. Special issues and articles were devoted to specific themes and countries, and Galaktika advertised science fiction comics too. Kuczka ran articles about 'Flash Gordon', 'Buck Rogers', 'Superman' and 'Batman', printed short stories by Moebius and Philippe Druillet, and included episodes of 'Conan the Barbarian' and Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin's 'Valérian'. Hungarian artists like Boguslaw Polch, Kája Saudek and Ernö Zórád provided illustrations to Galaktika. By hiring them for his magazine, Kuczka helped launch the careers of the future comic artists László Ámon, Alajos Németh and Mihály Vass.
Starting in the summer of 1972 with a print-run of 38,000 copies, Galaktika eventually peaked with 94,000 copies per issue (against a population of 10 million). Internationally, Galaktika was one of the largest science fiction magazines in the world, maintaining a loyal readership and overall quality. At the 1974 Eurocon in Grenoble, France, the magazine was chosen as Best European Sci-Fi Journal. Péter Kuczka edited Galaktika until 1995, when the 175th and final issue appeared. In November 2004, Galaktika was relaunched with a completely changed page lay-out and editorial structure by the Metropolis Media Group.
Final years and death
During the 1980s and 1990s, Péter Kuczka occasionally returned to comics, working with the artist Mihály Vass. In 1983, they adapted the Strugacki Brothers novel 'Beetle in the Anthill' ('Bogár A Hangyabolyban') for the daily newspaper Népszava. In 1990, they collaborated again on 'Pikoi isten Hajói' ("God Pikoi ships") in Kölyök magazine and 'Tízfejű Sárkány' ("The Ten-headed Dragon") in Heppiend Magazin. Péter Kuczka passed away in Budapest in 1999, at the age of 76.
Controversy and legacy
Péter Kuczka was not without controversy. Early in his career, he voluntarily acted as a speaking tube of the communist Mátyás Rákosi administration, until a new perception changed his tone in the mid-1950s. As a science fiction editor, he acted fully on his own taste. Writers he disliked were denied publication possibilities. One of them was the sci-fi writer István Nemere, who once described Kuczka as the state-installed overlord of Hungarian science fiction. Because Kuczka disliked the 'Star Trek' franchise, the series never gained the same popularity in Hungary as in the rest of the world. Still, Péter Kuczka goes down in history as the man who popularized the science fiction genre in his home country, personally running his internationally renowned magazine for 23 years.
'Pikoi isten Hajói' (1990), drawn by Mihály Vass.