Dictionary.net

A Hungarian poet (1786-1851); born at Nagyszolos. After study in German universities, he became a schoolmaster in Transylvania, and founded a journal, the Transylvanian Museum, which had a notable influence in developing the Magyar language and literature. He then settled at Pesth, and was one of the founders of the Hungarian Academy. He edited the Academy's "Monuments of Ancient Hungarian Speech", and with Andrew Fay was director of the new Hungarian Theatre. His many songs, odes, epigrams, elegies, etc., despite their frequent turgidity, must be ranked with the better specimens of the national literature, and not a few of them were translated into foreign languages; e. g., "The Alpine Violet" and the "Hussar Songs". He rendered valuable service to the Hungarian stage by introducing the plays of Shakespeare and Schiller. His historical writings are of great and permanent value.