The story of the Hungarian countess who became a man

The Hungarian writer Sándor Vay was actually born as a woman, Sarolta Vay, but the young countess crossdressed from an early age. Even in her attitude and hobbies, she was a man: she travelled, took part in duels and had female lovers.

Magyarország Kúl tells the story of Sándor Vay, the dutchess who became a man and a writer. He was not only an excellent writer but a strong personality who was exceptionally brave in his time.

Sándor was said to sport a male haircut, smoke thick cigars and use a walking cane. His mannerisms were so manly that people rarely saw through him. One of the greatest Hungarian prose writers of the 20th century, Gyula Krúdy, wrote that Vay could have fooled even the madam from the Mark Twain novels. Krúdy was taken with him and gave detailed, passionate accounts of Vay’s appearance and adventures.

Sarolta Vay was born in 1859 in Dabas to a respected aristocratic family. Her father was in the personal employment of Archduke Joseph of Austria. As a child, Sarolta became skilled in fencing and riding, later studying at famous universities abroad. However, the count’s family became bankrupt, so, Sarolta had to work for her money.

Sarolta began writing and published her short stories and poems under her own name, but when she turned to journalism,

she started using the pseudonym Sándor Vay, among others, like D’Artagnan, Vayk, Floridor and Celestin.

Vay was a columnist, who wrote mostly about noble families in Pest from the 18th-19th centuries and about noble country houses with a male, nostalgic tone.

Vay’s father played a significant role in the child’s transition: he raised Sarolta as a boy on purpose, while her smaller brother, Péter, had to wear skirts. Sarolta’s first romantic encounter with a girl took place in Dresden, at an all-girls seminary when she was 13, having posed as a boy. From this point on, everyone in the family knew about Sándor’s affairs with women.