Darvas, József (1912–1973)
Writer and political fellow traveller. Among the main figures in the ‘populist’ writers’ movement, he became vice-president of the National People’s Party (NPP) in 1945 and a member of the legislature from April 1945 until his death. He served as construction minister in 1947–50 and education minister in 1950–56, meanwhile he chairing the Writers’ Union in 1951–4. He abandoned creative writing in favour of articles supporting the Stalinist cultural policies of the period. After the defeat of the 1956 Revolution, he became a supporter of the pro-Soviet Kádár regime and joined the communist party in 1957. In 1959, he was made president of the reorganized Writers’ Union, which he remained until his death. In his final years, he attempted to promote the values espoused by the old populist movement and instigate new ‘sociographical’ works.
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