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Kelemen Mikes (1690–1761) was aTransylvanian-bornHungarian political figure and essayist, noted for his rebellious activities against theHabsburg monarchy. Mikes is referred to as the "HungarianGoethe", made famous by hisLetters from Turkey. With these, Mikes laid the foundations of Hungarian literary prose,[1] and he is regarded as one of the first Hungarian prose authors.
He was born inZágon and grew up inZabola (present-dayCovasna County,Romania). He fought the Habsburg until being forced to flee to thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth,France and eventually theOttoman Empire. While inTekirdağ, where he lived in exile with theTransylvanian PrinceFerenc Rákóczi, Mikes completed and published his essays. After Rákóczi's death in 1735, he stayed in exile until his own death.
