„Szívbéli gyönyörűséggel olvastam jóakaratának megnyilvánulásait”: Kisfaludy Károly és Gaal György

After the death of his mentor and friend Kisfaludy Károly, Toldy Ferenc promptly began to lay the foundations of his cult: within a year he published Kisfaludy’s works and wrote his biography. In the narrative constructed by Toldy – which continues to influence scholarship to this day – the establishment of contact between Kisfaludy and Kazinczy Ferenc in 1820 occupies a central place. It is striking, however, that in the very same year Kisfaludy also initiated correspondence with another man of letters, Gaal György, who was then working as a librarian in Vienna. Unlike the exchange with Kazinczy, this latter correspondence developed into a lifelong friendship. The present study first surveys the afterlife of Toldy’s narrative, then turns to an analysis of the primary sources. The correspondence between Kisfaludy and Gaal covers a wide range of topics; here, I focus primarily on Gaal’s advice regarding writing, the German translations of Kisfaludy’s works, and their discussions concerning the founding and editing of the almanac Aurora. Examining these sources not only sheds light on Gaal’s influence on Kisfaludy’s literary activity but also provides an opportunity to revise the long-established literary-historical narrative.