Csilla Toldy, the 57 year old Writer and Artist from Budapest, Hungary now lives in Rostrevor, Co. Down.
She started in the industry by writing promo videos and working on documentaries. At the time Csilla was living in Germany and worked as a translator, and had some poetry published in Hungarian. Her feature film script brought her to the UK in 1996.
What genre / style do you create in?
Literary fiction, poetry, scripts, video poems.
What would you be best known for?
I have had poetry published by Lapwing Belfast, and a short story collection, Angel Fur and Other stories was published by Stupor Mundi last year. It was reviewed in the Irish Times and launched at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin.
What would you consider your biggest achievement?
Quarterfinalist in the Final Draft Big Break Competition in 2019
What would you consider to be the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your industry?
Realising a film is teamwork. If you want to work alone, and you cannot let go of your baby, write in a different genre. Don’t be too enthusiastic too soon.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
Getting over rejections. But the road to publishing is paved with them.
Tell us a little about your personal life, are you married, kids, hobbies etc?
I am married to the artist Alistair Livingstone and we often work together, which is wonderful. I have three beautiful, adult children, who are good human beings.
Tell us about your most recent work?
With the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, I have just finished the first draft of a historical, biographical novel, about the controversial, fascinating life of Katalin Karady, a femme fatale of Hungarian films made during the years of WWII.
She saved Jewish people during the Holocaust and was tortured by the Gestapo. A CIA report which was written in 1952 after her defection states that she was a double agent, therefore she did not get entry into the US until 1968, when the Kennedy Brothers helped her. She never returned to Hungary and died in 1990 in NY.
What would you like us to tell people about?
My books and film poems are available on my website: www.csillatoldy.co.uk or on Amazon.
If you had to describe your work to someone who has never heard of you what would you say?
My “strange stories” take the reader to psychic landscapes and worlds they would not be able to go to otherwise. I like to confront the reader with aspects of human nature that could be called “Kafkaesque”.
What’s the funniest experience you’ve had in your business?
Working on my plays with Vicky Blades actress. She is a fantastic comedian.
What would your advice be to young people hoping to pursue the same industry?
It’s good to learn the craft and there are plenty of opportunities, workshops, courses. But the most important education for a writer is reading great literature.
Anything else you want to tell people about yourself or your work?
I am a founding member of Letters With Wings, a Facebook page and a group of poets who in solidarity with prisoners of conscience, aim to raise awareness for the freedom of speech. For those of you who wish to donate for sending the poetic letters we collected, here is the link: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/letters-with-wings
Who do you look up to and why?
Margaret Atwood. She is prolific, poignant, and an activist. She is a terrific writer.
You can find Csilla on social media using the following links:Â