VOROSMARTY, MIHALY

born Dec. 1, 1800, Nyk, Hung. died Nov. 19, 1855, Pest poet and dramatist who helped make the literature of Hungary truly Hungarian during the era (1825-49) of social reforms. By ridding Hungarian literature of overwhelming classical and German influence, he made it national not only in language but in spirit. Born into an impoverished noble family, Vrsmarty soon had to provide for himself. From the age of 15 as a schoolboy, and later while studying law, he supported himself by private tutoring. In 1825 he published an epic poem, Zaln futsa ("The Flight of Zaln"), describing the conquest of Hungary by rpd. The epic has great artistic merit, but its resounding success was partly caused by the general patriotic upsurge of the period, which clamoured for a work describing the glorious past of the Hungarian nation. In 1828 Vrsmarty became the full-time editor of a well-known magazine, the Tudomnyos Gyujtemny, and he was the first Hungarian man of letters to make a living-a modest one-from literature. In 1830 he became the first member of the newly founded Hungarian Academy and produced a truly great work, Csongor s Tnde, a symbolic fairy-tale play that is reminiscent of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. He married late, in 1843, and his wife, Laura Csajghy, inspired some beautiful poems, among which "A merengohz" (1843; "To a Day-Dreamer") is outstanding. Having achieved fame, reasonable material comfort, and a happy marriage, Vrsmarty was in a position to look forward to a contented old age when the War of Independence (1848-49) shattered his life. An ardent partisan of Lajos Kossuth, he embraced the national cause and became a member of Parliament. During the repression that followed, Vrsmarty had to go into hiding and lived with his three children in great misery. His personal misfortune and the tribulation of his country affected his mind, and, though he was still able to produce some splendid poems, such as "Vn cigny" (1854; "The Old Gypsy"), he was unable to continue his former activity.