''Aurora'' was a literary journal founded by

Károly Kisfaludy Károly Kisfaludy (5 February 1788 – 21 November 1830) was a Hungarian dramatist and artist, brother of Sándor Kisfaludy. He was the founder of the national drama. Early life The youngest of eight children, his mother died in childbirth, an ...

in 1821. It was crucial in the development of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

in Hungarian literature, and in establishing

Pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

as a literary centre. The magazine adopted a progressive literary approach.

History

Kisfaludy began collecting contributions in 1820, but it was not until the autumn of 1821 that the first issue appeared (bearing the date 1822). He himself wrote prolifically for his own magazine: short stories, poems, and folk songs. It began as an annual but by its end it was appearing at six-month intervals. Its circulation was approximately 1000. Hungarian writers who travelled abroad to cultivate links with German and English literati could point to ''Aurora'' as evidence of the existence of a new and vital literary culture which would transcend the neoclassicism of elder figures like

Ferenc Kazinczy Ferenc Kazinczy (in older English: Francis Kazinczy, October 27, 1759 – August 23, 1831) was a Hungarian author, poet, translator, neologist, an agent in the regeneration of the Hungarian language and literature at the turn of the 19th centur ...

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

also published articles on music in the magazine. Upon Kisfaludy's death in 1830,

József Bajza József Bajza (31 January 1804 – 3 March 1858) was a Hungarian poet and critic. He was born at Szücsi and was first published in Károly Kisfaludy's ''Aurora'', a literary paper he edited from 1830 to 1837. He also contributed substantially ...

took over the magazine. A dispute with the printer led in 1834 to the brief appearance of a rival version of the magazine with a different editor. Censorship took its toll on ''Aurora'', and in 1837 the magazine ceased publication. Its social role was taken by a new magazine, the ''Athenaeum'' (1837–43), edited by Bajza and Vörösmarty and appearing twice or thrice a week. The main members of the Aurora circle were

, Ferenc Toldy, and

Mihály Vörösmarty Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist. Biography He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. H ...

. The circle's influence was limited in the 1840s and after the failure of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 they ceased to be literary leaders in Hungary.

Later uses

A literary journal of the same name was published in Budapest from 1919 to 1923. Its editor was Sándor Giesswein. The Budapest community place

Auróra Auróra is a cultural and community place located in the 8th district of Budapest, Hungary. A well-known site of the city's underground music and art scene, it also serves as a hub for Hungarian NGOs. Its organisational model is based on particip ...

was named after the journal.

References

1821 establishments in the Austrian Empire 19th-century establishments in Hungary Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Defunct magazines published in Hungary Hungarian-language magazines Literary magazines published in Hungary Magazines established in 1821 Magazines disestablished in 1837 {{Europe-lit-mag-stub