JáNOS ARANY

'János Arany' (March 2, 1817—October 22, 1882), was a Hungarian journalist, writer, poet, and translator. He is often said to be the "Shakespeare of ballads" – he wrote more than 40 ballads which have been translated into over 50 languages, as well as the ''Toldi trilogy'', to mention his most famous works.

Contents

Biography

Legacy

Works

Poems in English

External links

Biography

He was born in Nagyszalonta, Bihar county, which is now part of Romania. At the time of his birth, his elder sister was already a married woman and his parents, György Arany and Sára Megyeri, were very elderly. János Arany learned to read and write early on, and was reported to read anything he could find in Hungarian and Latin. Since his parents needed support early in Arany's life, he started working at the age of 14 as an associate teacher.
From 1833 he attended the reformed college of Debrecen where he studied German and French, though he quickly became tired of scholarly life, and temporarily joined an acting troupe. Later on, he worked in Nagyszalonta, Debrecen, and Budapest in teacher, newspaper editor, and various clerk positions.
After Toldi, one of his most famous works, was published, he and Sándor Petőfi became friends (see their letters: To János Arany by Petőfi and Reply to Petőfi by Arany). His best friend's death in the 1848 Hungarian Revolution had a great impact on him.
Arany died in Budapest.

Legacy

The first scientific monograph on Arany was written by Frigyes Riedl.

Works

He translated three dramas of Shakespeare into Hungarian, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''Hamlet'' and ''King John'', and they are considered to be some of the greatest translations into Hungarian in history; he also helped other Hungarian translators with his comments, and translated works by Mikhail Lermontov, Aleksandr Pushkin, and Molière. It was said that he taught himself English in prison by comparing an English version of the Bible to a German one while imprisoned for his role in the Revolution.
The epic poetry of János Arany presents the legendary and historical past of his nation. The Death of King Buda (1864), the first part of a projected Hun trilogy is one of the best narrative poem in Hungarian literature. The other parts of the trilogy (Ildiko, and Prince Csaba) are unfinished.
One of his most famous poems, "A Walesi Bárdok" (The Bards of Wales), is well-known in Hungary and concerns the campaigns of Edward I to subjugate the Welsh and trample over their culture. Arany was drawing a parallel here with Austria's treatment of Hungary and the Hungarians. It is this poem, more than anything else, that has ensured Hungarians are familiar with Wales.
He is today considered as one of the greatest Hungarian literary figures beside Sándor Petőfi, Endre Ady and Attila József.

Poems in English

★ ''The Legend of the Miraculous Hind'' or ''The Legend of the Wondrous Hunt''

★ ''Years, O Years That Are Still to Come''

★ ''I Lay Down the Lyre''

★ ''In Autumn''

★ ''Retrospect''

★ ''Memorials''

★ ''The Bards of Wales''

★ ''On the Slope''

★ ''Family Circle''

★ ''The Nightingale''

★ ''Reply to Petőfi''

★ ''The Mother of King Matthias''

★ ''The Two Pages of Szondi''

★ ''Duel at Midnight''

★ ''Bier-right or Ordeal by Blood''

★ ''Becky Scarlet''

★ ''Corn Husking''

★ ''Annie with Golden Hair''

★ ''The Seamstress Girls''

★ ''Consecration of the Bridge''

★ ''Mistress Aggie'' / ''Mistress Agnes''

★ ''Imprisoned Souls''

External links

★ The Bards of Wales

★ Epics of the Hungarian Plain

★ The Legend of the Wondrous Hunt

★ Interview: A contemporary translator, Ádám Nádasdy, compares his own translations of Shakespeare with the translations made by János Arany

★ Find-A-Grave profile for János Arany