HVIEZDOSLAV

born Feb. 2, 1849, Vyn Kubn, Slovakia, Austrian Empire [now in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia] died Nov. 8, 1921, Dolny Kubin, Czech. pseudonym of Pavol Orszgh one of the most powerful and versatile of Slovak poets. Hviezdoslav was a lawyer until he became able to devote himself to literature. He originally wrote in Hungarian and was a Hungarian patriot, but in the 1860s he switched both activities to Slovak. By the time of his death the Slovaks possessed an extensive poetic literature of a high order. Hviezdoslav's contribution to this development was of decisive importance. In his main epicsHjnikova zena (1886; The Gamekeeper's Wife) and Ezo Vlkolinsk (1890)he treated local themes in a style that combined realistic descriptive power with lyric echoes from folk song. In his voluminous lyric output he experimented with a variety of metrical forms and forged a characteristic style, interwoven with neologisms and dialect elements. Most memorable are his moving Krvav sonety (1919; Blood-Red Sonnets), which embody his attitude toward World War I. He also translated much Hungarian, Russian, German, and English literature into Slovak.