Biblical Poetry, Cult, and the „Lack of Presence”

The Impact of János Pilinszky’s Poetry on Contemporary Readers: An Online Questionnaire Survey

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of the poetry and attentiveness of János Pilinszky on its readers. Drawing on Adrienn Pataky’s study On Influence and Cult: Pilinszky, it examines how Pilinszky’s work was perceived by his contemporaries and the cultural milieu of his time, how it is regarded today, and what influence it has on contemporary culture and its participants.

To gain insight into the emotions and thoughts that Pilinszky’s poems evoke in present-day readers, an online questionnaire survey was conducted with the participation of 50 respondents. The study first aims to investigate the background of respondents who are unfamiliar with János Pilinszky. Participants in the survey were asked to read three poems by Pilinszky and describe, separately for each poem, the feelings, thoughts, and impressions the works evoked in them. The responses were then categorized and ranked according to their frequency.The study also examines the presence of the three selected poems on YouTube, the online video-sharing platform. 

In its concluding section, the study draws conclusions from the responses to the three poems regarding the impact of poetry—and, more specifically, the art of attentiveness in Pilinszky’s work—on contemporary readers.