János Garay

Statue of János Garay

János Garay (10 October 1812 – 5 November 1853) was a Hungarian poet and author, was born in Szekszárd, Tolna County. From 1823 to 1828 he studied at Pécs, and subsequently, in 1829, at the University of Pest. In 1834 he brought out an heroic poem, in hexameters, under the title Csatár. Garay was an energetic journalist, and in 1838 he moved to Bratislava, where he edited the political journal Hírnök (Herald). He returned to Pest in 1839, when he was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 1842 he was admitted into the Kisfaludy Society, of which he became second secretary.

Garay enriched Hungarian literature with numerous lyrical poems, ballads and tales. The first collection of his poems was published in Pest; and his prose tales appeared in 1845, under the title of Tollrajzok (Sketches with the Pen). His historical ballads and legends, styled Árpádok (Pest, 1847, 2nd ed. 1848), showed him to be a master in the art of ballad-writing. Some of his lyrical poems also are excellent, as, for example, Balatoni kagylók (Shells from Lake Balaton) (Pest, 1848). His legend Bosnyák Zsófia (Pest, 1847), and his poetical romance Frangepán Kristófné (Christopher Frangepan's Wife) (Pest, 1846), gained the prize of the Kisfaludy Society. His last and most famous work was an historical poem in twelve cantos, with the title Szent László (Saint Ladislaus) (Eger, 1852, 2nd ed., Pest, 1853, 3rd ed. 1863). Garay was professor of Hungarian language and literature to the University of Pest in 1848-1849. Since he was frail he supported the 1848 Revolution for freedom through his poetry. When the Revolutionaries lost he was condemned by the Habsburgs. After about four years illness he died in 1853, in great want. A collective edition of his poems was published in Pest the year after his death by F. Ney (2nd ed. 1860), and several of his poems were translated by Kertbeny. His birthplace of Szekszárd has a statue to honor him.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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Hungarian literature Early sources Funeral Sermon and Prayer Old Hungarian Lamentations of Mary Gesta Hungarorum Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum Chronicon Pictum Sándor Petőfi 15th – 17th century Bálint Balassi Péter Bornemisza Albert Gergei István Gyöngyösi Gáspár Heltai János Sylvester Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos Janus Pannonius Péter Pázmány János Rimay Miklós Zrínyi 18th – 19th century Zoltán Ambrus János Arany József Bajza János Batsányi Elek Benedek Dániel Berzsenyi Miklós Bethlen Sándor Bródy Gergely Csiky Mihály Csokonai Vitéz József Eötvös Mihály Fazekas János Garay Géza Gárdonyi Ignotus Mór Jókai József Kármán József Katona Ferenc Kazinczy Zsigmond Kemény Károly Kisfaludy Sándor Kisfaludy Ferenc Kölcsey Imre Madách Kelemen Mikes Kálmán Mikszáth Sándor Petőfi István Széchenyi Ede Szigligeti Mihály Tompa János Vajda Mihály Vörösmarty 20th century Endre Ady Lajos Áprily Mihály Babits Béla Balázs Miklós Bánffy Géza Csáth Tibor Déry György Faludy István Fekete Miksa Fenyő Jolán Földes Milán Füst Andor Endre Gelléri Géza Gyóni Béla Hamvas Jenő Heltai Ferenc Herczeg Gyula Illyés Éva Janikovszky Attila József Gyula Juhász Margit Kaffka László Kálnoky Ferenc Karinthy Frigyes Karinthy Lajos Kassák Géza Képes János Kodolányi Károly Kós Dezső Kosztolányi Gyula Krúdy Ervin Lázár Menyhért Lengyel Iván Mándy Sándor Márai Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Móra Zsigmond Móricz Gáspár Nagy Lajos Nagy László Nagy Ágnes Nemes Nagy László Németh József Nyírő Géza Ottlik István Örkény Géza Páskándi János Pilinszky Miklós Radnóti Jenő Rejtő Sándor Reményik Sándor Sík István Sinka András Sütő Dezső Szabó Lőrinc Szabó Magda Szabó Sándor Szathmári Miklós Szentkuthy Mária Szepes Antal Szerb Domokos Szilágyi Áron Tamási Józsi Jenő Tersánszky Árpád Tóth István Tömörkény Albert Wass Sándor Weöres Lajos Zilahy Péter Zsoldos Contemporary Tamás Cseh Sándor Csoóri István Csukás György Dragomán Péter Esterházy Ágnes Gergely Márton Gerlóczy Gábor Görgey Anna Jókai Ferenc Juhász Sándor Kányádi Márton Karinthy Ákos Kertész Imre Kertész György Konrád László Krasznahorkai Endre Kukorelly Péter Lengyel László L. Lőrincz Béla Markó György Moldova Péter Müller Péter Nádas Ádám Nádasdy Gábor Nógrádi Imre Oravecz Zsolt Őz Lajos Parti Nagy Zsuzsa Rácz Zsuzsa Rakovszky András Réz Pál Salamon Richárd Salinger György Spiró Károly Szakonyi Dezső Tandori Miklós Vámos Category:Hungarian writers