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Mihály Vörösmarty | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byMiklós Barabás, 1852 | |
| Born | (1800-12-01)1 December 1800 |
| Died | 19 November 1855(1855-11-19) (aged 54) |
| Spouse | Laura Csajághy [Wikidata] |
| Children | Béla Ilona Erzsébet |
Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English:Michael Vorosmarthy[1] 1 December 1800 – 19 November 1855) was aHungarian poet anddramatist who lived and worked in theKingdom of Hungary.
He was born atPuszta-Nyék (nowKápolnásnyék), of anoble Roman Catholic family. His father was a steward of theNádasdys. Mihály was educated atSzékesfehérvár by theCistercians and atPest by thePiarists. The death of the elder Vörösmarty in 1817 left his widow and numerous family in poverty. As a tutor to the Perczel family, however, Vörösmarty contrived to pay his own way and go through his academic course at Pest.[2]
The activities of theDiet of 1825 enkindled his patriotism and gave a new direction to his poetry. He had already begun a drama,Salomon. He flung himself into public life and fell in love with Etelka Perczel, who was from a higher social class. Many of his lyrics concern this unrequited love. Meanwhile, his patriotism found expression in the heroic epicZalán futása (The Flight of Zalán, 1824), which, while dealing with the Hungarian past, also dealt with contemporary political concerns.[3] This new epic marked a transition from the classical to the romantic school. Vörösmarty was hailed byKároly Kisfaludy and the Hungarian romanticists as one of their own. He had forsaken the law for literature, and his financial situation deteriorated. Between 1823-31, he composed four dramas and eight smaller epics, partly historical, partly fanciful. Of these epics he always regardedCserhalom (1825) as the best, but later criticism preferredA két szomszédvár (Two Neighbouring Castles, 1831).[2]
When theHungarian Academy was established on 17 November 1830 he was elected a member of the philological section, and ultimately succeeded Károly Kisfaludy as director with an annual pension of 500 florins. He was one of the founders of theKisfaludy Society, and in 1837 started two periodicals: theAthenaeum and theFigyelmező. The first was the chief bellettristic periodical, and the second was a critical periodical.[2]
From 1830-43, he devoted himself mainly to drama, includingCsongor és Tünde (Csongor and Tünde, 1830), a five-act play inspired by Albert Gergei'sPrince Árgirus and by Shakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream; andVérnász (Blood Wedding, 1833), which won the Academy's 200-gulden prize.[2]Csongor és Tünde was described byGyörgy Lukács in 1911 as the best Hungarian play of the nineteenth century.[citation needed] He also published several volumes of poetry. His song "Szózat" ("Appeal", 1836) was to become a second national anthem, and he wrote "Az elhagyott anya" ("The Abandoned Mother", 1837) and "Az uri hölgyhöz" ("To the Noble Lady", 1841). His marriage in 1843 toLaura Csajághy [Wikidata] inspired him to compose a new cycle of love poems. They had five children, includingBéla andIlona. In 1848, in conjunction withArany andPetőfi, he contributed to a translation ofWilliam Shakespeare's works.[2]
With the support ofLajos Kossuth andImre Cseszneky, he was elected to representJankovác at the diet of 1848, and in 1849 was made one of the judges of the high court. The national catastrophe (the fall ofthe revolution of 1848-49) profoundly affected him. For a short time he was an exile, and when he returned to Hungary in 1850 he was already in serious decline. In 1854, he wrote his last poem, "A vén cigány" ("The Old Gypsy"). He moved back toPest to be close to doctors, and died there, in the same house where Károly Kisfaludy had died 25 years earlier. He was buried in Kerepesi Cemetery. His funeral, on 21 November, was a day of national mourning. His penniless children were provided for by a national subscription collected byFerenc Deák, who acted as their guardian.[2]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Vörösmarty, Mihály". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 213.
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