Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/73

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HUNGARY (LANGUAGE AND LITEKATUBE) 65 ding orations, are distinguished by a spirit of ardent patriotism. Fay's "Fables" (MeaeTc) are excellent specimens of that kind of poet- ry, in the manner of Leasing. Czuczor, dis- tinguished also as a grammarian and lexicog- rapher, is chiefly renowned for his popular songs and his historical epics in hexameter, the " Battle of Augsburg " (Augsburgi utKzet) and "Assembly of Arad 11 (Aradi gyiiles). The latter, however, were excelled by the more nu- merous epics of Vorosmarty, "Cserhalom," "The Flight of Zalan " (Zaldn futdsa), "Er- lau " (ger), &c., which, together with his tragedies, short novels, songs, and especially odes and ballads, gave him the foremost rank among the writers of his nation. In lyrical poetry, next to Vorosmarty and Kolcsey we find Bajza, who is also remarkable as an s- thetical critic and historical writer, Peter Vaj- da, John Erdelyi, Kunoss, Alexander Vachott, Csaszar, and Garay, whose ballads also rival those of Vorosmarty. Toward the close of the period appear the three youthful popular poets Tompa, Arany, and Petofi, of whom the first two excelled chiefly in tales and legends, and the last in light and playful songs, whose sub- jects are love, liberty, independence, nature, and all that can touch the heart or inspire the imagination. Fictitious literature was chiefly cultivated, if not created, by Josika, whose historical novels, "Abafi," "The Last of the Bathoris" (Utoho Bdthory), " The Bohemians in Hungary" {deJiek Magyaromdglan), &c., exercised the greatest influence upon the de- velopment of Hungarian prose after Kazinczy. Smaller though not inferior works were written by Peter Vajda. In many respects both were surpassed by Eotvos, whose " Carthusian " (A carthausi), a philosophical romance, "Village Notary " (A falu jegyzoje), an admirable pic- ture of recent political life in Hungary, and "Hungary in 1514" (Magyarorszdg 1514 6 " 1 ), a historical novel, place him among the most eminent writers of his age. Kuthy is often eminent in pictures of nature, and Ignatius Nagy in caricaturing characters ; both pro- duced imitations of Sue's "Mysteries," taken from Hungarian life, but disfigured by unnatu- ral exaggerations. Kemeny and Jokai belong also to a more recent period, both as novelists and publicists. The principal dramatic authors besides Kisfaludy and Vorosmarty were Katona (L'ankbdn), L. T6th, Garay, Szigligeti, who is eminent in popular plays, Gal ("The Notary of Peleske"), I. Nagy, Emeric Vahot, Paul Kovacs, and Czako. Travels were written by Belenyei (America), Csaszar (Italy), Bartholo- mew Szemere, Irinyi, L. Toth, and Gorove (western Europe), Mehes (Switzerland), Jerncy (southeastern Europe), and Reguly (northern Russia), the work of Szemere being one of the most remarkable productions of the period ; politic-id works by Szechenyi, Wesselenyi, Kos- snth, Eotvos, Szalay, B. Szemere, and others; the best histories by M. Horviith, Peczely, and J;iszy (Hungary), Bajza (the ancient world), and Toldy (national literature); philosophical treatises by Szontagh, Mdrki, Gregus, and oth- ers ; the best statistical works by Fenyes, Villas, and Kovary. Natural sciences, theology, lan- guages, and antiquities also found numerous representatives. The best grammatical and lex- icographical works on the national language were written by Czuczor, Fogarassy, and Bloch. The beautiful songs of the people were published in various collections, among others by Erdelyi; miscellaneous writings by Pulszky, Lukacs, Frankenburg, Gabriel Ka- zinczy, Gondol, Berecz, Pompery, Amelia Bezeredy, Theresa Karacs, and others. Of translators we will mention only Szabo, who published an admirable metrical version of Homer. During the revolution of 1848-'9 the muses were silent, excepting only the stirring songs of war. The battle field closed many a glorious career, as in the case of Pe- tofi, and destroyed many an incipient genius, as in that-of the eloquent Vasvari. After the close of the war the dungeon, the scaffold, and exile doomed the most gifted of the nation to silence. The last quarter of a century is therefore in a literary respect inferior to the preceding period, though productive of a large number of publications of different degrees of merit. Some of them, mostly belonging to the surviving representatives of the preceding period, are worthy of their great popularity. In poetry the imitators of Petofi have been numerous. Among the most remarkable pro- ductions are the poems of Tompa, Arany, Sa- rossy, Lisznyai, Levai, Gyulai, Nicholas Sze- mere, Szasz, Jambor (Hiador), Silkei, Szeles- tei, Bozzai, Losonczy, Szekely, and others; the novels of Kemeny, Josika, Jokai, Palt'y, Gyulai, and Berczy ; the humorous writings of Berndt and Radakovics (Vas Gereben) ; the historical works of Szalay, Joseph Teleky, Jaszay, Toldy, Csengery, Palugyai, Meszaros, Fe.jer, J. Hunfalvy, &c. ; the political writings of Eotvos and Kemeny ; the translations of Ste- phen and Charles Szabo, P. Ilunfalvy, Csen- gery. Irinyi, Szasz, and Siikei ; the travels of Emanuel Andrassy (India), Nendtwich (Ameri- ca), Podmaniczky (northern Europe), Magyar (southern Africa), Emma Teleky (Greece), &c. ; and the dramas of Szigligeti and others. Journalism and oratory, both of which at- tained their highest development during the later period of Kossuth's agitation, have been revived by the restoration of the Hungarian constitution. This sketch, which includes va- rious Magyar productions of the Transylvanian press, excludes all more modern non-Magyar literary productions of Hungary belonging to the Slavic, German, or other literatures. Among the principal works on Hungarian his- tory (in various languages) are those of Bel, Pray, Gebhardi, Katona, Fesslcr, Engi-1, Maj^ lath, Horvath, Peczely, Toldy, A. de (Brando, Szalay, and Kerekgyarto. See also A. J. Pat- terson, "The Magyars: their Country and In- stitutions" (2 vols., London, 1869).