Bella Nagy Explained

Bella Nagy
Other Names:	Jókainé Nagy Bella
Birth Name:	Bella Grósz
Birth Date:	4 July 1879
Birth Place:	Jákó, Hungary
Death Place:	Amersham, Buckinghamshire, UK
Occupation:	Actress
Spouse(S):	Mór Jókai (m. 1899-1904)

Bella Nagy (Grósz; 4 July 1879 – 30 January 1947) was a Hungarian actress, and the second wife of writer Mór Jókai.

Early life

Bella Grósz was born in Jákó, Hungary, the daughter of Jewish parents, Móric Grósz and Éva Flamm.^[1] ^[2] Her father was a mechanic. She graduated from a commercial school in Óbuda before pursuing an interest in the theatre, attending the Rákosi Szidi acting school.^[3]

Career

Nagy had her stage debut in 1898, and performed in several works by Mór Jókai before she married the writer in 1899 in Budapest.^[4] Their age difference (he was 74 and she was 20), plus their religious differences, caused a scandal, and his family tried to have him declared incompetent.^[5] She left the stage reluctantly, and attempted a comeback in 1901,^[6] but continued in the public eye as Jókai's wife.^[7]

After his death, she was his sole heir, outraging other claimants and causing further scandal and prolonged legal battles; she lost those battles, and was left without support from Jókai's estate.^[8] ^[9] ^[10]

In 1912, Nagy donated Jókai's books and papers to the Hungarian National Museum in exchange for a life pension.^[11] ^[12]

Personal life

Nagy married writer Mór Jókai in 1899,^[13] as his second wife; they honeymooned in Sicily. His first wife, Róza Laborfalvi, was also an actress.^[14] Nagy was widowed when Jókai died in 1904;^[15] ^[16] she never remarried.

She moved to England in the 1939, to flee the Nazis and to arrange for an English-language edition of her husband's works. She lost her life pension in 1942, when Germany pressured Hungary to cease payments. She died in 1947, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, aged 67.^[17]

Notes and References

Book: Koerner, András. How They Lived 2: The Everyday Lives of Hungarian Jews, 1867-1940: Family, Religious, and Social Life, Learning, Military Life, Vacationing, Sports, Charity. 1 November 2016. Central European University Press. 978-963-386-176-9. 64, 67. en.
News: 16 November 1899. Jokai's Romance. 6. The American Israelite. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
Web site: Láng . József . 1975 . OSZK . 2023-12-14 . Elektronikus Periodika Adatbázis Archívum.
Book: Jókai, Mór. Tales From Jókai. 3 December 2019. Good Press. en.
Book: Jókai. Mór. Essential Novelists - Mór Jókai: reality and personal experience. Nemo. August. 9 May 2020. Tacet Books. 978-3-96858-621-2. en.
News: 8 November 1901. Aged Maurice Jokai's Young Wife to Resume Career as a Star. 2. Boston Post. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: Brown. Curtis. 19 April 1903. Strange Sequels of an Octogenarian's Love Story. 39. The Courier-Journal. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: Legarde. Marie. 11 September 1904. Wife and Daughter Fight for the Fortune of Jokai. 37. The Saint Paul Globe. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: 9 October 1904. Bitter Contest is Being Waged Over Estate Left by Great Hungarian Novelist. 17. The San Francisco Call. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: 16 April 1911. Jokai's Widow in Need. 39. The Spokesman-Review. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: 13 May 1911. Jokai's Widow Wants Pension. 3. The West Schuylkill Press and Pine Grove Herald. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
News: 2 December 1942. Warring on Women. 4. The Kingston Daily Freeman. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
October 1899. Frau Maurus Jokai. Über Land und Meer. de. 83. 34.
News: 22 May 1904. Romance of Maurus Jokai; He wrote 16 Books and had a Story of His Own. 25. The Saint Paul Globe. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.
18 May 1904. The late Maurus Jokai, the Great Hungarian Patriot and Novelist, with his Wife. The Bystander. 2. 673.
News: 6 May 1904. Great Hungarian Poet Passes Away. 12. Quad-City Times. 8 April 2021. Newspapers.com.