A message from Béla’s family:
Béla, passed away in 2019 at the age of 100. This website was created in 2015 in collaboration with his grandson, Theodore and will continue to be maintained indefinitely.
My name is Béla Somssich-Szőgyény. Here are my collected writings from 2005 to the present. These are my short stories and memoires about my life in Hungary and Australia. They are written in my native Hungarian and I have included some English translations.
English
I was born in Budapest on the 7th October 1918. My early education took place in my parent’s home in Kivadár, Somogy county. I completed my secondary studies at the Pius College in Pécs, going on to study at the Franz Liszt Music Academy and Pázmány Péter University. In 1939 I attended summer school at the University of Perugia. During World War II I served in the Anti Aircraft Artillery. After the war I worked in music publishing and then as a music education producer at Hungarian Radio until 1949 when I left my homeland. Since 1951 I have lived in Australia, in Sydney.
Magyar
Születtem 1918. október 7-én, Budapesten. Gyermekkoromban az apai házban nevelődtem Kivadáron, Somogy megyében. Középiskolát a pécsi Pius Kollégiumban végeztem, majd a Zeneakadémiára jártam, közben egyetemre is. 1939 nyarát a perugiai egyetemen töltöttem. A háborúban a légvédelmi tüzéreknél szolgáltam. A háború után zenei lektorként s a Rádiónál mint zenei rendező dolgoztam 1949-ig, amikor elhagytam hazámat. 1951 óta Ausztráliában élek, Sydneyben.
CONTENTS
(E) - English
(H) - Hungarian
Portrait by Linda Schriek