Name Jozsef Wolfner | Died 1932 | |
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Jozsef Wolfner (Arad, June 5, 1856; Budapest, February 16, 1932) was a Hungarian publisher, founder of the publishing house Singer and Wolfner.
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"He was a bourgeois, and in Hungary there are bourgeois, proletarians and Bohemians, but the real bourgeois is not common. Wolfner was a real bourgeois whose lifestyle was the dignity and enthusiasm for his job. He perfectly adhered to Baudelaire’s expression that stated: "You have to work, because work is less boring than fun." Well, Wolfner was a man who was never bored. His life was dedicated to design and creativity". - From Ferenc Herceg’s memorial speech
Life
We know very little about Jozsef Wolfner’s life. In 1885, after completing his university studies, he founded along with Sandor Singer the publishing house Singer and Wolfner which was mainly devoted to literary works for children. In 1923 Wolfner transformed the publishing house into a joint stock company assuming the role of President and Director. Singer and Wolfner became soon well known for its works on economic issues and for the publication of significant journals and books. The library was located in Budapest, at 16 Andrassy Street. The publisher’s office was on the top floor of the same building.
Editorial Politics
At the beginning of the twentieth century Jozsef Wolfner was a successful businessman and well known and respected as an erudite man of letters. The formula to his success was his ability to quickly perceive the needs of readers. Among the authors published by Singer and Wolfner were Ferenc Herczeg, Géza Gárdonyi, Kalman Csátó, Miklos Suranyi, along with Beniczky Bajza Lenke and Hedwig Courths-Mahler.
Wolfner's attention was mainly directed to the taste of the local middle class and the intellectual bourgeois. This literature was suitable for young adults since the books were simple, easy to read and in paperback formats. The most successful works were those by Lajos Posa and Zsigmond Sebok.
The publishing house became also famous for its founder’s passion for art collecting and patronage. The latter's son, István Farkas, a famous and recognized painter, followed the path of his father by becoming an art collector and patron as well. He collaborated with Jenő Barcsay, Gyula Hincz, Lajos Szalay and Tibor Vilt. Farkas was also the publishing house Director from 1932 to 1944 when Singer and Wolfner assumed the name of Literary Institute of Modern Times.