My browser crashed whilst composing my reply to you... second try then:
I have not read much from either Karinthy, but "Tanár Úr Kérem" (Please, Sir!) is one of my favourite books. I am assuming though that in asking for other writers like him, you are looking for other light(hearted) fiction of some sort.
MIKSZÁTH Kálmán is an author I can ardently recommend for such books. MEK only has one book from him (
http://mek.oszk.hu/00900/00951/ ) but if you can find English translations of some of his other novels, particularly "Sipsirica" (Shipshiritsa [it's a name]), "Gavallérok" (Gentlemen), or "Beszterce Ostroma" (The Siege of Beszterce) I highly recommend it.
MEK also has a book of Hungarian short stories, which might get you acquainted with a few more writers:
http://mek.oszk.hu/00400/00433/
On a less lighthearted side, if one of the available English translations appeal to you, I recommend trying to read MADÁCH Imre's "Az Ember Tragédiája" (The Tragedy of Man):
http://mek.oszk.hu/00900/00915/
http://mek.oszk.hu/00900/00917/
http://mek.oszk.hu/00900/00918/
http://mek.oszk.hu/00800/00876/
GÁRDONYI Géza's "A láthatatlan ember" (The Invisible Man, published in English as "Slave of the Huns") is a great but reasonably light book about a recently freed slave who sells himself into the slavery of a Hun nobleman after falling in love with his daughter. The book offers a strikingly different (from the usual western barbarian write-off) view of Attila and the Hunnic Empire. Somewhat expensive, as it no longer seems to be in print, but definitely available:
http://www.amazon.com/Slave-Huns-Gez.../dp/0672505002
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/...f%20the%20Huns
I have also been toying with the idea of translating "A láthatatlan ember" a.k.a. "Slave of the Huns"--the English translation that was published is recent enough to still be under copyright. If it seems like I am making any meaningful progress, perhaps I'll post the occasional update on it somewhere on these forums.
Other obvious authors to consider would include JÓKAI Mór--unfortunately whose [arguably] most interesting book, an early and strangely prophetic science fiction novel called "A jövő század regénye" (The novel of the next century) is not available--and REJTŐ Jenő (published as P. Howard in the anglosphere, and fairly widely available). Stuff from them and others are available here via MEK:
http://mek.oszk.hu/html/vgi/kereses/...k&fotema=human
I will think about whether or not I can think of anything more that's likely to be available in English. Are you interested in folktales too, or just novels and short-stories?
- Ahi