| Birth Date: | 6 April 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Levice, Czechoslovakia |
| Genre: | Novel |
| Education: | Comenius University |
| Spouse: | Ágota Grendel |
| Children: | Zsuzsa Grendel Gábor Grendel |
Lajos Grendel (6 April 1948 – 18 December 2018)[1] was a Hungarian writer who lived in Slovakia. He published chiefly in his native Hungarian language and was among the most prominent representatives of Hungarian literature in Slovakia.[2]
In his writing, Grendel heavily utilized humor, irony and absurdity, taking inspiration from magic realism.[3] Several of his stories take place in the factious village of New Hont, where the mundane daily struggles of the locals are juxtaposed with major historical events.[4]
Grendel studied Hungarian and English at the Comenius University.[5] Following his graduation, he was employed in the Madach Hungarian-language publishing house. Following the Velvet Revolution, he became politically active, serving as an MP of the final term of the Third Slovak National Council (1990 – 1992). In 1994 he became the editor of the Kalligram publishing house. He also taught at the Comenius University.[6]
The 541982 Grendel minor planet discovered in 2012 is named after Lajos Grendel.[7]
He was married to the journalist Ágota Grendel (née Sebők). They had two children - Zsuzsa and Gábor.