Writer Imre Kertész and inventor Ernő Rubik received the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen at state celebrations of the August 20, on Wednesday. The Order of Saint Stephen is the highest state award of Hungary, and it is presented to people who have achieved unique feats and brought pride to the Hungarian nation.
The awards were presented by President János Áder, as part of the national state celebrations. Talking about Nobel Prize winning Imre Kertész, the president said, his work presents the brutalities of life under oppression with anatomical precision, adding that his writing also shows how once can have the opportunity to experience freedom from within.
The award was also presented to Imre Rubik, inventor of the world famous Rubic’s Cube. In his speech the president called the invention “genius, magical and smart”, and inventing such a device needed true Hungarian mentality. The Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen award was originally founded by Queen Maria Theresa in 1764, and while it was discontinued after 1946, the state once again reinstated it in 2011. (MTI)
MTI photo Attila Kovács