About János Arany

Biography

Born of an impecunious yeomen family on 2 March 1817 at Nagyszalonta (Salonta), he was first taught to read and write by his father. He also provided some knowledge of Latin for the young boy. Arany went to school at the College of Debrecen in 1833. He was a preceptor in Kisújszállás in order to support his studies. Arany left school early and sought recognition in the theatre. He joined a theatrical troupe in 1836 but soon returned to his native town to support his elderly parents. Arany first found a teaching position in his hometown as an associate headmaster. Later on he took up employment as a deputy notary in the local administration. He married Julianna Ercsey in 1840. They had two children, Juliska and László. During the Hungarian Revolution (1848/49) he co-edited a newspaper, Nép barátja (The People’s Friend), which explained to the peasantry the views and actions of the revolutionary government of Kossuth. He worked in the civil service at the Ministry of Domestic Affairs while the revolutionary government resided in Debrecen. For these, and for his service in the Nemzetőrség (National Guard), he lost his job in his hometown and had to leave Nagyszalonta. From 1951 on he was employed by the gimnázium (secondary grammar school) in Nagykőrös as a teacher of Hungarian and Latin. He was first elected a corresponding member and then a full member of the Hungarian Academy in 1858. Arany moved to Pest in 1860 when he assumed the directorship of the pre-eminent literary society of the age (Kisfaludy Társaság). He was elected first secretary (1865) and in 1870 secretary-general of the Academy. Arany lost his daughther in 1865. His granddaughter Piroska was raised by him and his family. Having suffered from various illnesses, he took regular trips to Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) during the summer in the years between 1869 and 1876. His resignation as secretary-general was finally accepted in 1877. Arany died on 22 October 1882.

Literary Career

His first poems did not survive. Arany started to translate Sophocles and Shakespeare in Nagyszalonta upon the encouragement of his friend István Szilágyi. His first publications included lyric poetry and narrative poems. Arany wrote a biting satire,  Az elveszett alkotmány (Constitution Lost), in 1846 and won the first prize of the Kisfaludy Társaság which held a poetry competition for a comic epic in the same year. He made his real advent on the literary scene in 1847 with his epic poem Toldi which he submitted for the next competition. He instantly became famous. Sándor Petőfi was the first poet to embrace him, and the two men became close friends. Arany supported the cause of the revolution and the war in 1848/49 through his publication of poems and journal articles.

He translated literature from Greek, Latin, English, French, German and Italian. He published the concluding part of his trilogy on Toldi, Toldi estéje (Toldi’s Evening), and his satirical narrative poem A nagyidai cigányok (The Gipsies of Nagyida) during his years in Nagykőrös. Beside publishing short lyric poetry and short epic poems, the Nagykőrős years saw the production of some of his most enthusiastically received works, a number of ballads of historical and psychological nature. Arany was a published teacher and his reviews and studies on literary criticism belong to the best tradition of Hungarian literary scholarship.

 Arany was the founding editor of two literary periodicals (Szépirodalmi Figyelő, Koszorú) published in Pest. These were important organs of Hungarian literature and criticism. He also finished the first part of his planned trilogy on the Huns (Buda halála – The Death of King Buda). Arany also edited the first complete works of Shakespeare in Hungarian under the auspices of Kisfaludy Társaság to which he contributed masterly and enduring translations (A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; King John). During his service as secretary-general he translated the comedies of Aristophanes. During his time at the Academy, his own original poetic output waned as he was in charge of overseeing the everyday business of Hungarian scholarly activities. Having retired from the wearisome duties of the Academy, he produced a remarkable cycle of lyric poetry (Őszikék – Little Autumn Flowers), considered to be his swan song, and finished the long-awaited middle part of the Toldi trilogy (Toldi szerelme – Toldi’s Love). After his death, his son László published Arany’s complete works and letters in 12 volumes.

Select Bibliography

Literature on János Arany

  1. Pál Gyulai, Emlékbeszéd Arany János fölött [Eulogy on János Arany] (1883) = Válogatott művei, ed.István Hermann, Miklós Nagy, Bp., Szépirodalmi, 1956 (Magyar Klasszikusok).
  2. Sándor Ercsey, Arany János életéből [From the Life of János Arany] (1883)
  3. Frigyes Riedl, Arany János [Biography] (1887), Bp., Hornyánszky, 1887.
  4. Frigyes Riedl, John Arany = Frigyes Riedl, A history of Hungarian literature, transl. Charles Arthur Ginever, Ilona Ginever, New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1906, 217–244.
  5. Jenő Péterfy, Arany János Őszikéi [János Arany`s Late Poems Őszikék] (1888) = Összegyűjtött munkái, I, 1901; Válogatott művei, Bp., 1983, 632–638.
  6. Mihály Babits, Petőfi és Arany [Petőfi and Arany] (1910) = Esszék, tanulmányok, I, ed. Belia György, Bp., Szépirodalmi, 1978, 160–180; Nyugat, 3(1910), 22, 1577–1590.
  7. Géza Voinovich, Arany János életrajza [János Arany’s Biography], I–III, 1929, 1931, 1938.
  8. János Horváth, A nemzeti klasszicizmus irodalmi ízlése [The Literary Taste of National Classicism] = Irodalomtörténeti munkái, IV, ed. János Korompay H., Klára Korompay, Bp., Osiris, 2008.
  9. János Horváth, Nemzeti klasszicizmusunk irodalomszemlélete [National Classicism’s Concept of Literature] = Irodalomtörténeti munkái, IV, ed. János Korompay H., Klára Korompay, Bp., Osiris, 2008.
  10. A[lexander] Hevesi, Two great Hungarian Poets, The Slavonic and East European Review, 1930–1931, 94–106. [Petőfi, Arany]
  11. Joseph Reményi, Two XIXth century Hungarian men of letters: János Arany and Baron Jozsef Eötvös, Symposium, 1952, 157–180.
  12. Alexander R. Sinclair, Shakespeare’s word-play in Arany’s translations, Acta Litteraria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 8(1966), 1966/3–4, 454–463.
  13. Albert Tezla, Arany János = Albert Tezla, Hungarian Authors: A bibliographical handbook, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard Univ. Press, 1970.
  14. Péter Pór, Certitude unattained: Elemzések Arany lírájának első szakaszából – Studies on Arany's early lyric poetry – Edited by G. Béla Németh, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1972, 372 pp., Acta Litteraria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 16(1974), 1974/3–4, 369–373.
  15. Márton Tarnóc, Remembering János Arany on the 100th Anniversary of his Death, Acta Litteraria Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 25(1983), 1983/3–4, 429–433.
  16. Lóránt Czigány, János Arany = Lóránt Czigány, A history of Hungarian literature: From the earliest times to the mid-1970’s, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1984.
  17. Dezső Keresztury, János Arany and English Literature, The New Hungarian Quarterly, 26(1985), 100, 67–77.
  18. R. L. Aczel, Notes on the Lyrical Poetry of János Arany 1848–1849 = Hungarian Studies 3, Budapest, Nemzetközi Magyar Filológiai Társaság, Akadémiai Kiadó, [1987], 111–130.
  19. János Barta, A pálya végén [At the End of  the Career], Bp., Szépirodalmi, 1987.
  20. Dezső Keresztury, Mindvégig: Arany János 1817–1882 [Throughout: János Arany’s Biography 1817–1882], Bp., Szépirodalmi, 1990.
  21. Béla G. Németh, Arany János (Mű és személyiség), Bp., Gondolat, 1970 (Nagy Magyar Írók).
  22. Az el nem ért bizonyosság: Elemzések Arany lírájának első szakaszából [Certainty Not Reached. Studies on the First Phase of Arany’s Poetry], ed. Béla G. Németh, Bp., Akadémiai, 1972.
  23. László Imre, Arany János balladái [Ballads by János Arany], Bp., Tankönyvkiadó, 1988 (Műelemzések Kiskönyvtára).
  24. László Szörényi, Epika és líra Arany életművében [Epic and Lyric Poetry in Arany`s Oeuvre] = „Multaddal valamit kezdeni”: Tanulmányok, Bp., Magvető,1989.
  25. Balázs Nyilasy, Narrative Poems of János Arany = Hungarologische Beitrage 13, Universität Jyväskylä, 2001, 135–149.         
  26. Péter Dávidházi, Hunyt mesterünk: Arany János kritikusi öröksége [Our Dead Master: The Critical Heritage of János Arany], Bp., Argumentum, 1992; 19942.
  27. A két Arany: Összehasonlító tanulmányok [The Two Arany. Comparative Studies on János Arany and László Arany], ed. János Korompay H., Bp., Universitas, 2002.
  28. Róbert Milbacher, Arany János és az emlékezet balzsama: Az Arany-hagyomány a magyar kulturális emlékezetben, Bp., Ráció, 2009 (Ligatura).
  29. Eszter Tarjányi, Arany János és a parodisztikus hagyomány [János Arany and the Parodistic Tradition], Bp., Universitas, 2013.
  30. „Eszedbe jussak”: Tanulmányok Arany János Hamlet-fordításáról [Remember me. Studies on János Arany`s Translation of Hamlet], ed. Júlia Paraizs, Bp., reciti, 2015 (Hagyományfrissítés, 3).

Editions

  1. Hungarian Poems and Fables, transl. by E. D. Butler, London, Trübner & Co., 1877, II.
  2. The Legend of the Wondrous Hunt, transl. by. E. D. Butler, London, Trübner & Co., 1881, II.
  3. Gems from Petőfi and other Hungarian Poets, transl. by William N. Loew, New York, P. O. Esterházy, 1881, II.                                                                                 
  4. Magyar Songs, transl. by William N. Loew, New York, Samish and Goldmann 1887, II.
  5. Magyar Poetry: Selections from Hungarian Poets, transl. by William N. Loew, New York, 1899, II. (an enlarged and revised edition of the translator’s former works: “Gems From Petőfi,” 1881. “Magyar Songs,” 1887. “Magyar Poetry,” 1899.)
  6. Magyar Poetry, transl. by William N. Loew, New York, Amerikai Magyar Népszava, 1908. II.
  7. Magyar Poems, ed. and transl. by Nora de Vállyi and Dorothy M. Stuart, London, E. Marlborough, 1911, II.
  8. Toldi – Toldi’s Eve – Ballads – Selected Lyrics, transl. by Wm. N. Loew, New York, 1914. II.
  9. The Magyar Muse: An Anthology od Hungarian Poetry (1400−1932.), transl. by Watson Kirkconnell, Winnipeg, Kanadai Magyar, 1933, II.
  10. The Death King of Buda: A Hungarian Epic Poem, transl. by Watson Kirkconnell, Cleveland, Bonj. Franklin B., 1936. II.
  11. Hungarian Poetry, ed. by Egon F. Kunz; Sydney: Pannonia, 1955.
  12. Epics of the Hungarian Plain, transl. by Nyerges Anton N., Classic Printing Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio 1976.
  13. In Quest of the Miracle Stag: The Poetry of Hungary, ed. Adam Makkai, Baltimore: University of Illinois Press, 1996. [Toldi (Extracts) (Watson Kirkconnell) (Toldi); Civilisation (Peter Zollman) (Civilizáció); The Scholar’s Cat (Neville Masterman) (A tudós macskája); The Nightingale (Peter Zollman) (A fülemile); Family Circle (Neville Masterman) (Családi kör); Reply to Petõfi (Madeline Mason) (Válasz Petõfinek); Cosmopolitan Poetry (Madeline Mason) (Kozmopolita költészet); The Mother of King Matthias (Neville Masterman) (Mátyás anyja); The Bards of Wales (Peter Zollman) (A walesi bárdok); The Two Pages of Szondi (Adam Makkai) (Szondi két apródja); Duel at Midnight (Peter Zollman) (Éjféli párbaj); Bier-right or Ordeal by Blood (Peter Zollman) (Tetemre hívás); Becky Scarlet (Peter Zollman) (Vörös Rébék); Corn Husking (Peter Zollman) (Tengeri-hántás); Annie with Golden Hair (Peter Zollman) (Szõke Panni); The Seamstress Girls (Peter Zollman) (A varró leányok); Consecration of the Bridge (Peter Zollman) (Híd-avatás); Mistress Aggie (Version 1) (Peter Zollman) Mistress Agnes (Version 2) (William N. Loew and Adam Makkai) (Ágnes asszony); Imprisoned Souls (Peter Zollman) (A rablelkek)]
  14. The Lost Rider: Hungarian Poetry 16-20th Century, an anthology, ed. George Szirtes, Budapest: Corvina, 1998.