Magvető  Magvető is a Hungarian book publishing company based in Budapest. It primarily publishes domestic and international works of literary fiction. Magvető was established in 1955 as a publisher of the Magyar Írók Szövetsége (now the Hungarian Writers' Association). Its main task was to publish contemporary Hungarian fiction and classical Hungarian literature. However, it also published world literature works since it was founded. Upon its founding, a special competitive situation was created within the framework of the state socialist system between Magvető and the similar publisher Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó. It soon became apparent that works which differed from the mainstream of literary policy, which provoked political or aesthetic debates, were more likely to be published by Magvető. Such works included Endre Fejes's "Rozsdatemető", Géza Ottlik's "Hajnali háztetők" and Ferenc Sánta's "Húsz óra". Magvető published works by Iván Mándy, Miklós Mészöly, László Nagy, Ágnes Nemes Nagy, Géza Ottlik, Ottó Orbán, István Örkény, Magda Szabó és Sándor Weöres is. After 1956, the publisher was "confiscated" from the association. Previously, the publisher's own shop, the Magvető bookstore on Szent István Boulevard, also distributed the publisher's works. However, after the 1956 change of regime in Socialist Hungary, it merged into the network of the Libri book distribution company. The founder of Magvető was the secretary of the Writers' Association, Géza Képes, a poet and translator. Képes served as co-director of Magvető with Géza Hegedüs. János Pilinszky also worked as a proofreader on the publisher's first volumes. The founding director had to leave Magvető in 1957 due to his activities during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and was replaced by Ferenc Vadász. In 1961, György Kardos became the head of the Magvető. Kardos previously served as a Lieutenant Colonel working in military intelligence for the State Protection Authority (ÁVH).